N. Police records.

Since police departments and their officers can properly be considered "public officers and servants of counties and municipalities" within Alabama Code § 36-12-1 (2001) and thus are required to "correctly make and accurately keep in and for their respective offices and places of business all such books or sets of books, documents, files, papers, letters and copies of letters," pursuant to Alabama Code § 36-12-2 (2001), all police records that are not expressly made confidential by statute or that must be kept confidential to protect a pending criminal investigation should be presumptively open. For example, the front side of Alabama Uniform Incident/Offense reports are open subject to the right of the sheriff to withhold or redact certain information on a case-by-case basis depending on the nature of the case, the status of the investigation, whether the victim would be subject to threats or intimidation, or when public disclosure would hinder the investigation. Washington County Publications v. Wheat, No. CV-99-94 (Cir. Ct. of Washington County, Ala., May 1, 2000).