CASSOPOLIS — Government and law enforcement agencies across southwest Michigan flocked to Cass County Wednesday morning to learn more about how to disseminate information to the public.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Cass County hosted its first Freedom of Information Act training with Michigan State Police at the Cass District Library, 319 M-62, Cassopolis. During the training, 65 visitors and government agents from across Cass County, Niles, New Buffalo and other parts of southwest Michigan learned about FOIA, the process of responding to a FOIA request, records retention and other similar topics. The event was hosted free of charge.

FOIA, originally passed in 1967, generally gives citizens the right to request public and agency records that are not covered by an exemption.

Lori Hinkley, MSP FOIA coordinator, led the training. Each year, MSP processes an average of 22,000 FOIA requests, and Hinkley said that understanding all of the laws surrounding FOIA is essential for local agencies to ensure transparency.

“It’s important for local agencies to understand the public has a right to see public records unless they have had an exemption,” Hinkley said. “My goal is that everyone leaves with one additional tool to make their lives easier, and that is going to vary depending on what kind of FOIA requests they handle.”

Cass County Administrator Jeff Carmen said he believed the training to be a positive move for Cass County.

“We deal with public records, and it is increasingly complex, as more and more records exist in more and more different formats,” Carmen said. “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to host this and take advantage of it.”

Jackie Taylor, Cass County administrative assistant and FOIA coordinator, was the driving force to bring the FOIA training to Cassopolis. She said she wanted to host the training because when she was given the duties of FOIA coordinator duties three years ago, the closest training she could find was hours away. Inspired by this, she began working early this year to organize a training in Cass County and to invite several area agencies.

Having seen her work come to fruition, Taylor, who said she completed 35 FOIA requests last year, said she is proud to have hosted such an event of Wednesday’s size and importance to the community.

“I’m really excited about it,” Taylor said. “This is a great opportunity to make sure everyone in the county is on the same page. … I hope everyone leaves knowing what their role is as FOIA coordinator.”

In addition to providing FOIA information, Taylor said she hoped the training would encourage collaboration between Cass County and other agencies across the southwest Michigan region.

“The response we’ve had from area agencies has been amazing,” Taylor said. “I hope that through this collaborative effort, we open the door for more collaborative efforts on more things in the county and surrounding areas.”