25-ORD-100
April 9, 2025
In re: Ronnie Sparkman/Shelbyville Police Department
Summary: The Shelbyville Police Department (“the Department”)
violated the Open Records Act (“the Act”) when it did not issue a timely
response to a request it received under the Act.
Open Records Decision
On January 21, 2025, inmate Ronnie Sparkman (“Appellant”) submitted a
request to the Department for a copy of a police report “generated by” a specified
officer, on a specific date, related to the arrest of a specific person. The Appellant also
requested a “copy of the list of evidence taken” and “all the statements given” related
to the specified arrest. On March 3, 2025, having received no response from the
Department, the Appellant initiated this appeal.
Under KRS 61.880(1), upon receiving a request for records under the Act, a
public agency “shall determine within five (5) [business] days . . . after the receipt of
any such request whether to comply with the request and shall notify in writing the
person making the request, within the five (5) day period, of its decision.” Here, the
Appellant submitted a request to the Department on January 21, 2025, and has not
received a response to that request.
On appeal, the Department states it received the request on February 4, 2025,
but admits it did not timely respond. The Department explains that the request was
related to a case assigned to a detective who no longer works for the Department,which caused the request to be “overlooked and not completed.”1 Thus, the
Department violated the Act.2
A party aggrieved by this decision may appeal it by initiating an action in the
appropriate circuit court under KRS 61.880(5) and KRS 61.882 within 30 days from
the date of this decision. Under KRS 61.880(3), the Attorney General shall be notified
of any action in circuit court, but shall not be named as a party in that action or in
any subsequent proceedings. The Attorney General will accept notice of the complaint
emailed to OAGAppeals@ky.gov.
Russell Coleman
Attorney General
/s/ Matthew Ray
Matthew Ray
Assistant Attorney General
#110
Distributed to:
Ronnie Sparkman, #280696
Julee Snyder
Bruce W. Gentry
Steve Gregory
Troy Ethington
1
The Department states it now has “implemented a logging system” to ensure it does not overlook
a request again
2
The Department states that, upon receiving the notice of appeal, it “immediately gathered and
mailed a copy of the requested records to the Appellant on March 13, 2025,” and waived all copying
fees.