Most California police departments and law enforcement agencies received failing grades when it comes to fulfilling basic public information requests, according to a new audit by the non-profit, non-partisan public information advocacy group Californians Aware. CalAware sent 65 people from 31 newspaper and broadcast news organizations, posing as ordinary citizens, to visit 184 police and sheriff’s departments and 32 CHP offices. These average citizens asked to see information about recent burglaries, armed robberies and sexual assaults and any related arrests as well as copies of the senior officer’s employment contract and legally required disclosure of investments, property owned and other financial interests. Most of these “citizens” got little or nothing — and one was asked her Social Secuirty number so the cops could see if she had any outstanding warrants. Thomas Peele and Matt Krupnick wrote this report on the audit.