Last modified: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 1:16 AM EDT What the police and courts should tell you BY DAVID LINTON SUN CHRONICLE STAFF Massachusetts law requires each police department to maintain a daily log, written in a form that can be easily understood. The logs record - in chronological order - all responses to valid complaints and crimes reported. The names of people arrested, their address and charges against them should also be listed. All entries, unless otherwise provided in law, are public records available without charge to the public during regular business hours and at all other reasonable times. However, any entry pertaining to a handicapped person who is physically or mentally incapacitated to the degree he or she is confined to a wheelchair or is bedridden is kept in a separate log that is not a public record. The court system Most court actions in Massachusetts are public proceedings. Everyday defendants are arraigned or tried in courts, and defense lawyers challenge prosecutors in pretrial hearings in full view of the public. Some court matters are closed to the public, however, such as inquests, grand jury proceedings and juvenile court matters. Most court records are also public. Court records are filed by docket numbers, but courts are required to also have an alphabetical index of criminal and civil cases. Daily trial lists are also public. Parts of records that contain the names of victims in cases against accused or convicted sex offenders are not available to the public. Mental health records and alcoholic commitment records are also not available to the public.