Washington state laws determine that records revealing public actions including court papers, police arrest records, marriage licenses, traffic violations and more are open and offered to the general public, largely because of the Washington's 1973 Public Records Act. All significant info on the many happenings of authorities, city and county courts, and local government are incorporated into these records, and generally are presumed public unless officially redacted. Both authorities and criminals are able to be held accountable for their conduct as a consequence of these laws, which offer the citizenry with the resources they require to investigate concerns independent of their government.