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News from
2012

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  • Freedom of the Press Foundation recognizes MuckRock for innovative investigative journalism

    Freedom of the Press Foundation recognizes MuckRock for innovative investigative journalism

    by Michael Morisy
    December 21, 2012

    Typically, MuckRock tries to follow the old maxim, “Report the story, don’t be the story,” but today I wanted to share some good news: The Freedom of the Press Foundation has graciously chosen us as one of four organizations to receive funding through its inaugural crowdfunding campaign.

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  • Documents estimate Occupy LA cost city $4.3 million

    Documents estimate Occupy LA cost city $4.3 million

    by Inkoo Kang
    December 18, 2012

    During the Occupy LA protests last year at City Hall Park, activists expressed anger at the nation’s increasing economic inequality and the financial policies that led to the Great Recession. While Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa publicly credited the protesters with helping to “awaken the nation’s conscience,” records from inside City Hall reveal that the administration was preoccupied by the protest’s costs to the city.

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  • Mesa County, CO Sheriff authorized to use drones 'similar to a K-9 unit'

    Mesa County, CO Sheriff authorized to use drones ‘similar to a K-9 unit’

    by Shawn Musgrave
    December 13, 2012

    The sheriff in Mesa County, CO is one of the few law enforcement agencies in the country authorized to use drones in the field, documents from the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicate.

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  • "Ten big ones" Boston Mayor Kevin White’s FBI file

    “Ten big ones” Boston Mayor Kevin White’s FBI file

    by Tom Nash
    November 28, 2012

    As mayor of Boston, Kevin White oversaw what many have called its transformation into a world-class city. During his four terms in office, from 1968 through 1984, he oversaw revived development in the city’s downtown and led the way through a bitter struggle with school integration. White’s tenure was also marked by corruption allegations. But even as many of his associates were convicted on corruption charges, several FBI investigations into White’s activities as mayor came up dry.

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  • "Glaring perverting headlines" Helen Gurley Brown's FBI file

    “Glaring perverting headlines” Helen Gurley Brown’s FBI file

    by Inkoo Kang
    November 20, 2012

    Which article in the November 1985 issue of Cosmo so infuriated one reader from Phoenix, Ariz., that they mailed editor-in-chief Helen Gurley Brown a death threat with a razor blade taped to the letter? Was it “An Intimate Look at Adultery?” “Twelve Hideaways for Lovers?” Or could it have been the pro-pagan “Astro Forecast for Your Man?”

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  • San Diego County Sheriff refuses to release drone documents

    San Diego County Sheriff refuses to release drone documents

    by Shawn Musgrave
    November 15, 2012

    Like many agencies, the San Diego County Sheriff’s office responded that they had no documents relating to drones. But in this case, MuckRock discovered there were responsive documents — which were only released by a different city.

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  • Army documents offer lessons learned from Hurricane Andrew

    Army documents offer lessons learned from Hurricane Andrew

    by Shawn Musgrave
    November 08, 2012

    Documents released to MuckRock illuminate lessons the Defense Department took from its response to Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, which destroyed thousands of homes across Florida and Louisiana and left thousands without power.

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  • "These are sobering findings," and other NSA talking points

    “These are sobering findings,” and other NSA talking points

    by Tom Nash
    November 06, 2012

    The National Security Agency operates with more secrecy and freedom than perhaps any other U.S. government entity. As 15 pages of recently released talking points show, even its own statements defending its activities are sometimes considered too sensitive for the public to see.

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  • The FBI's decades-long war on D. H. Lawrence

    The FBI’s decades-long war on D. H. Lawrence

    by Shawn Musgrave
    October 31, 2012

    The FBI file on avant-garde book publisher Barney Rosset reveals how J. Edgar Hoover’s Bureau played decency crusader on two continents in an attempt to keep Lady Chatterley’s Lover out of the hands of the public.

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  • Two years later, Suffolk County Jail releases suicide prevention materials

    Two years later, Suffolk County Jail releases suicide prevention materials

    by Inkoo Kang
    October 24, 2012

    The Boston jail that faced intense scrutiny after the accused "Craigslist Killer" committed suicide while in custody mixed in clip art and celebrity gossip in a slideshow used for suicide prevention training.

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  • Alameda County Sheriff seeks drone for thermal imaging, surveillance

    Alameda County Sheriff seeks drone for thermal imaging, surveillance

    by Shawn Musgrave
    October 19, 2012

    Protestors opposed to the Alameda County Sheriff’s plan to obtain unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) held a press conference at Oakland City Hall on Thursday, Oct. 18 in coordination with the ACLU of Northern California and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. MuckRock had previously obtained documents related to Alameda’s proposed drone program.

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  • Seattle police seek more drones while two sit unused

    Seattle police seek more drones while two sit unused

    by Shawn Musgrave
    October 11, 2012

    The Seattle Police Department plans to expand its drone program over the next year with the purchase of two additional units and the training of additional officers, documents released to MuckRock indicate. The additional drones would cost SPD at least $150,000. But beyond conducting limited training exercises, SPD has never deployed the two drones it purchased in 2010 for $82,000. Furthermore, SPD has no clear policy outlining how drones can be deployed in the field.

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  • Hunter S. Thompson's appropriately NSFW FBI file

    Hunter S. Thompson’s appropriately NSFW FBI file

    by Tom Nash
    October 09, 2012

    The career of Hunter S. Thompson, chronicler of America’s counterculture movement, was closely followed by the FBI - even going so far as to interview his neighborhood liquor store clerk.

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  • Under current policy, Boston police can keep scanned license plate data indefinitely

    Under current policy, Boston police can keep scanned license plate data indefinitely

    by Shawn Musgrave
    October 01, 2012

    In a September 2011 memo released to MuckRock, Boston Police Department Commissioner Edward Davis outlines how BPD and its officers are authorized to use automated license plate recognition (ALPR) technology and data. In particular, the memo reveals BPD’s capacity to retain ALPR data indefinitely for investigatory purposes.

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  • The FBI, the ICP and the FOIA

    The FBI, the ICP and the FOIA

    by Inkoo Kang
    September 28, 2012

    The hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse sued the FBI this week after the agency failed to fulfill a 2011 FOIA request for documents justifying the Bureau’s designation of the Detroit-based musical group’s fans as a gang.

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  • MBTA chiefs buried report warning against steep disabled fares hike — but why?

    MBTA chiefs buried report warning against steep disabled fares hike — but why?

    by Shawn Musgrave
    September 25, 2012

    In July, the MBTA hiked fares for “The Ride” 100 percent and enacted service changes some say are aimed at reducing ridership. With disability advocates questioning the agency’s motives, very little information was available about how the decisions were made.

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  • Miami-Dade Police owns two ‘hover and stare’ drones

    Miami-Dade Police owns two ‘hover and stare’ drones

    by Inkoo Kang
    September 25, 2012

    The Miami-Dade Police Department’s three-year drone program has been a high-profile example of municipal law enforcement agencies’ swift embrace of drone technology.

    Read More

  • Vang Pao: The general who wouldn't give up the battle

    Vang Pao: The general who wouldn’t give up the battle

    by Inkoo Kang
    September 17, 2012

    For nearly seven decades, General Vang Pao served as a warrior for his people in a campaign that spanned from his native Laos to California. Between World War II and the Global War on Terror, Vang went from decorated veteran and CIA confidante to defending himself in a federal courtroom against charges of attempting to funnel almost $10 million of weapons to Laos.

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  • How Austin, TX almost purchased its first drone

    How Austin, TX almost purchased its first drone

    by Brandon Wieber
    September 11, 2012

    Over a span of almost nine months, the Austin, TX police department pursued plans to lease an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), only to kill the program suddenly. Revealed in documents obtained as part of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and MuckRock’s Drone Census, we get an agency-eye view of the process required to go from conception to (almost) kickstarting a UAV program.

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  • Send in the troops: the Pentagon's guidelines for domestic deployment

    Send in the troops: the Pentagon’s guidelines for domestic deployment

    by Shawn Musgrave
    September 04, 2012

    Huge events like the Republican National Convention are designated by the Department of Defense as “National Special Security Events” - rare non-disaster situations where U.S. military personnel can be deployed domestically.

    Read More

  • Overdue: Suffolk County suicide prevention guidelines

    Overdue: Suffolk County suicide prevention guidelines

    by Brandon Wieber
    August 31, 2012

    After the high-profile "Craigslist Killer" Suicide, MuckRock co-founder Michael Morisy requested the Sheriff’s Department guidelines on suicide prevention. For two years, the Sheriff’s Department has failed to provide them.

There are no fines (or any punishment at all) for a Massachusetts agency that doesn’t respond to a Freedom of Information request.

    Read More

  • FBI investigated a NASCAR fan who wanted to kill Dale Earnhardt Sr. to save sport's integrity

    FBI investigated a NASCAR fan who wanted to kill Dale Earnhardt Sr. to save sport’s integrity

    by Tom Nash
    August 22, 2012

    Dale Earnhardt Sr. is remembered as one of NASCAR’s most successful drivers and tragic figures, given the shocking Daytona 500 crash that killed him in 2001. But followers of the sport had elevated him to mythic status long before the fatal accident. An FBI file obtained by MuckRock user Jason Smathers documents how Earnhardt faced danger on and off the track.

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  • Breaking it Down: What happens when companies sponsor free tolls on the MassPike?

    Breaking it Down: What happens when companies sponsor free tolls on the MassPike?

    by Inkoo Kang
    August 21, 2012

    The Allston-Brighton toll at Interchange 19 of the Massachusetts Turnpike only costs $1.25 (or $1 with an EZ Pass/FastLane), but some companies are hoping that drivers will be so grateful to be relieved of the hurried, last-minute search for quarters between the car seat and door that they’ll spend upwards of $70 on their next pair of heels or concert tickets.

    Read More

  • San Francisco Police Department asked for $100,000 RPV drone

    San Francisco Police Department asked for $100,000 RPV drone

    by Shawn Musgrave
    July 31, 2012

    A San Francisco Police Department project proposal suggested that the department's Homeland Security Unit acquire a remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) equipped with video and infrared sensing capabilities.

    Read More

  • The Census Bureau's $33 million web site

    The Census Bureau’s $33 million web site

    by Brandon Wieber
    July 24, 2012

    As citizens of a democracy, we’d like to believe that our tax money is spent on programs and products that will support the nation, and create a better, stronger society. So what do we do when we discover that more than $33 million dollars was spent on a web application few find useful?

    Read More

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