Swatting Documents
| Tracking # |
F-2023-09490 |
| Submitted | June 6, 2023 |
| Due | July 6, 2023 |
| Est. Completion | Jan. 30, 2026 |
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Communications
From: Dhruv Mehrotra
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
- Documents, memos, presentations, and emails (including attachments) written between January 1, 2020 and the date this request is processed regarding a spree of false reports of active shooting incidents called into schools and universities. A keyword search could include the words "hoax", "hoax call", "swatting", "false report" AND the words "school" or "university"
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Dhruv Mehrotra
From: U.S. Department of State
Dear Dhruv Mehrotra:
Thank you for filing your information access request to the U.S. Department of State. Your request number is F-2023-09490.
You will receive a formal acknowledgement to your request in no later than 10 working days. If the Department requires additional information from you, then you will also be notified.
Should you have any questions about your request, you may also contact us at:
FOIAStatus@state.gov
Regards,
Requesters Communications Branch
Office of Information Programs and Services
U.S. Department of State
From: U.S. Department of State
Dear Dhruv Mehrotra,
The status of your FOIA request #F-2023-09490 has been updated to the following status 'Received'. To learn more, please log into the DoS FOIA Portal via the Application URL below.
https://pal.foia.state.gov
Regards,
U.S. Department of State
From: U.S. Department of State
**THIS EMAIL BOX IS NOT MONITORED, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.** Mr.Mehrotra: This email acknowledges receipt of your June 7, 2023, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552) request received by the U.S. Department of State, Office ofInformation Programs and Services on June 7, 2023, regarding documents, memos, presentations, and emails (including attachments) written between January 1, 2020, and the date this request is processed regarding a spree of false reports of active shooting incidents called into schools and universities. A keyword search could include the words "hoax", "hoax call", "swatting", "false report" AND the words "school" or "university"(Date Range for Record Search: From 1/1/2020 To 6/7/2023). Unless you advise otherwise, we will treat as non-responsive any compilations of publicly available news reports and any publicly available documents not created by the U.S. government, such as mass-distribution emails from news media. This Office assigned your request the subject reference number and placed it in the complex processing track where it will beprocessed as quickly as possible. See 22 CFR § 171.11(h). This Office willnot be able to respond within the 20 days provided by the statute due to“unusual circumstances.” See 5 U.S.C. §552(a)(6)(B)(i)-(iii). In this instance,the unusual circumstances include the need to search for and collect requestedrecords from other Department offices or Foreign Service posts. If you have any questions regarding yourrequest , would like to narrow the scope or arrange analternative time frame to speed its processing, or would like an estimated dateof completion, please contact our FOIA Requester Service Center or our FOIAPublic Liaison by email at FOIAstatus@state.gov or telephone at202-261-8484. Additionally, youmay contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at theNational Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIAmediation services they offer. Thecontact information for OGIS is as follows: Office of Government InformationServices, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS,College Park, Maryland 20740-6001, email at ogis@nara.gov; telephone at202-741-5770; toll free at 1-877-684-6448; or facsimile at 202-741-5769. **THIS EMAIL BOX IS NOT MONITORED, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.**
From: U.S. Department of State
Dear Dhruv Mehrotra,
The status of your FOIA request #F-2023-09490 has been updated to the following status 'In Process'. To learn more, please log into the DoS FOIA Portal via the Application URL below.
https://pal.foia.state.gov
Regards,
U.S. Department of State
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on June 7, 2023. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #F-2023-09490.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on June 7, 2023. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #F-2023-09490.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on June 7, 2023. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #F-2023-09490.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: U.S. Department of State
Dear Dhruv Mehrotra,
This is in reference to your email below regarding your FOIA request control number F-2023-09490.
The Department has a backlog of FOIA requests, and there will be a delay in processing FOIA requests. As the Department continues to work through its backlog of FOIA requests, it is mindful of its accountability to the public and is processing this request as quickly as possible.
The Office of Information Programs and Services' electronic records system indicates that your request is being processed. At this time, the estimated date of completion (EDC) determined for your request is January 30, 2026. EDCs are estimates and are subject to change. If your request can be completed prior to the EDC, a response will be sent to you sooner.
If you have any concerns or questions regarding a FOIA-related matter, please send an email to the FOIA Requester Service Center at foiastatus@state.gov<mailto:foiastatus@state.gov>.
We truly appreciate your continued patience and apologize for the delayed response.
Sincerely,
U.S. Department of State
FOIA Requester Service Center
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
-
~WRD0002
From: U.S. Department of State
Dear Dhruv Mehrotra,
This is in reference to your email below regarding your FOIA request control number F-2023-09490.
The Department has a backlog of FOIA requests, and there will be a delay in processing FOIA requests. As the Department continues to work through its backlog of FOIA requests, it is mindful of its accountability to the public and is processing this request as quickly as possible.
The Office of Information Programs and Services' electronic records system indicates that your request is being processed. At this time, the estimated date of completion (EDC) determined for your request is January 30, 2026. EDCs are estimates and are subject to change. If your request can be completed prior to the EDC, a response will be sent to you sooner.
If you have any concerns or questions regarding a FOIA-related matter, please send an email to the FOIA Requester Service Center at foiastatus@state.gov<mailto:foiastatus@state.gov>.
We truly appreciate your continued patience and apologize for the delayed response.
Sincerely,
U.S. Department of State
FOIA Requester Service Center
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
-
~WRD0002