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The argument that "release of the records would “not be in the public interest”" is contrary to prior cases. i.e., the following applies to prosecuting attorneys, too.

RCW 42.56.550(3) directs courts that "free and open examination of public records is in the public interest, even though such examination may cause inconvenience or embarrassment to public officials or others." Therefore, the term "highly offensive" must mean "something more than embarrassing." West, 183 Wn. App. at 313. "Because police officers are entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing society's laws and protecting citizens from harm, their credibility depends upon their own personal compliance with the law and with behaviors that promote public order and citizen safety." D. W. Stephens & D. L. Carter, Police Ethics, Integrity, and Off-Duty Behavior: Policy Issues of Officer Conduct, in POLICE DEVIANCE 29 (Thomas Barker & David L. Carter eds., 1994).