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Arizona county attorney to relinquish police records control

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PHOENIX (AP) - An Arizona county attorney has allowed police agencies to decide when to release public records from their investigations instead of having the county attorney's office control records.

The Arizona Republic reports that current Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel is expected to work with law enforcement on a case-by-case basis in compliance with public records law.

Prosecutors say they would inform police agencies about lawyers' ethical and criminal procedure rules.

County officials say former County Attorney Bill Montgomery believed police records should be kept private and prevented the release of records.

Republican Gov. Doug Ducey appointed Montgomery to the state Supreme Court in September, and the county Board of Supervisors appointed Adel to finish his term.

Adel says she would run as a Republican for a full four-year term in 2020.