Washington state guidelines determine that records recording municipal decisions such as court papers, police arrest records, marriage certificates, traffic infractions and more are open and available to the general public, largely as a result of the Washington's 1973 Public Records Act. All pertinent information on the various happenings of law enforcement, local courts, and local government are contained in these records, and generally are assumed public unless officially redacted. Both government bodies and offenders may be held accountable because of their conduct thanks to these laws, that provide the populace with the resources they require to explore problems separate from their government.