![]() Keeping requests specific and narrow greatly increases the chance that federal or state agencies will actually respond to your request and produce records. Narrow and target your request as much as possible. Some typically requested records include contracts, email and other communications, assessments or legal analyses, policy directives or memos, and complaints. Are there laws or appropriation language that requires the documentation of certain things? Determine what records you’re seeking.ĭo you know that the records exist, or do you suspect they do? Do you know what they’re called? What type of record do you think the agency would create to detail what you’re trying to uncover, or to communicate specific information - would they write a report, a memo, or an email? Perhaps the given agency mandates that certain types of records are created after events such as when an officer uses force or fires a weapon. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has a great Open Government Guide with more information about the public records laws in your state. Most state laws allow people to request records from state and local agencies like police departments, county prosecutors’ offices, and state attorneys general’s offices. The federal Freedom of Information Act allows people to request records from federal agencies such as the FBI or the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department (see more at ). Determine what records you can request in your state or local jurisdiction. But the principles outlined below should help you draft and submit more effective records requests. Moreover, the national scale of this moment means we have not been able to tailor every piece of advice to the local laws in every jurisdiction. These tools will be important for long-term accountability.Īmerican Oversight’s legal and investigations teams have compiled a list of strategies to help journalists, activists, and others in communities all over the country to use public records requests to uncover the paper trail and hold our leaders accountable. ![]() Many jurisdictions have open records laws that allow members of the public to request records - including emails, memos, data files, complaint records, incident reports, and more - of what our government officials are saying and doing on our behalf. All of us have a right to know how they have responded in this moment, whether they have been honest in their statements, and whether they are being held accountable. Government officials work for the public. On Monday, President Donald Trump urged state governors to use aggressive tactics to target protesters. ![]() As protests against police brutality and racial injustice have spread across the country in recent days, many cities have seen law enforcement and other security forces respond with increasing violence. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |