BRISTOL — After Norman Langelier allegedly shot and killed his wife and then took his own life in a devastating fire at their Cumberland home in April, there was much speculation about a note authorities found outside the burning house.

The police described the one-page letter Langelier left on the passenger seat of his pickup truck as a suicide note, but they declined to release it to the public.

Months later, Special Assistant Attorney General Michael W. Field was at a meeting with police officers from around the state when an officer involved in the Langelier case asked if the note should have been considered a public record.

Field told the officer the note may have been interesting but that the Cumberland Police Department did the right thing in not making it public.

“How does that note shed light on the activities of government?” Field asked.

Field told the anecdote yesterday in a crowded lecture hall at the School of Law at Roger Williams University to explain the delicate relationship between the public’s right to know and an individual’s right to privacy.

More than 500 people — government officials, lawyers, law enforcement personnel and others — gathered yesterday for the 10th annual Open Government Summit sponsored by the attorney general’s office and the Roger Williams University Law Alumni Association.

For newcomers, the morning conference offered an up-close look at the state’s Open Meetings Law and Access to Public Records Act, which ensure public access to government proceedings. For veterans of the event, it gave an update on new developments in the laws and recent cases in which they were applied.

In a statement before the conference, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said it is crucial “to keep government open, accountable and responsive.”

“It is only when citizens are fully informed that they can fully participate in the decision-making processes, big and small, which affect them,” he said.

During his introductory remarks yesterday, Lynch said his office works diligently to protect the public’s access to information. He referred to the lawsuit he filed against the City of Cranston last month for illegally delaying releasing records to a candidate for City Council.

“That’s not where we want to be,” he said. “But we won’t hesitate to go forward again.”

He said that so far this year, 58 citizen complaints have been filed alleging violations of the open-meetings or open-records laws, a significant increase over the 44 filed all of last year. Lynch could not explain the reason for the up-tick in cases.

Following Lynch’s talk, Field and Laura Ann Marasco, who comprise the attorney general’s open government unit, explained in detail the open-meetings and open-records laws.

In response to a question from the audience, Field also tried to explain why the attorney general’s office supported Governor Carcieri’s decision to veto what would have been the first amendment to the public records act in more than a decade.

In his veto message, Carcieri said he was concerned that the amendment would have required the police to release additional information sooner about an arrest, including where it occurred. The attorney general’s office reasoned that a victim’s address could be published by the media if a crime occurred at that location.

“There was a lot of good in that bill,” Field said. “There were some concerns.”

akuffner@projo.com