Thread by @weareoversight

Our legal and investigations teams compiled a list of 7 strategies to help journalists, activists, and others use public records requests to investigate how the government is responding to nationwide protests and to hold our leaders accountable.

americanoversight.org/tips-for-filin…

Many jurisdictions have open records laws that allow people to request records — including emails, memos, data files, complaint records, incident reports, and more — to learn what our government officials are saying and doing.

As a note, this is not an exhaustive list, and we’re not experts in the specifics of public records laws in every jurisdiction, so the items below may not work in every situation, but we've tried to identify principles that should help you create more effective records requests.

1/ Determine where you should make your record request. The federal Freedom of Information Act allows you to request records from federal agencies like the FBI or the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
FOIA.gov

Most state laws allow you to request records from state & local agencies like local police departments, county prosecutors’ offices, and state AG offices. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has a great guide to state public records laws: rcfp.org/open-governmen…

2/ Determine what records you’re seeking. Here are some helpful questions to consider:

3/ Narrow and target your request as much as possible. Use keywords. Here are some tips:

4/ When you write your request, try to think from the perspective of both the person whose records you are interested in, and the person who might conduct the search. Try to ask some of these questions:

5/ Figure out if you’re asking for records that are exempt from disclosure. Some records don’t have to be released. For example, under federal law and many state laws, documents compiled for ongoing investigations are exempt until those investigations are closed.

It may make more sense to ask for records from older investigations that you know are closed or to request policy directives or memoranda that could show how officials are handling the protests.

6/ Be sure to include your name & contact info & the contact info for the relevant agency or office, along with the description of the records sought. SPLC offers a helpful records request letter generator.
splc.org/lettergenerato…

7/ Don’t forget to follow up! Follow up on your requests after you submit them. Sometimes public records officers can help you narrow or adjust your request to get meaningful records more quickly.