For the past year, Sunlight has been actively exploring the landscape of U.S. criminal justice data. Now they need your help to get critical data on how cities are using fines to fund their operations - at the expense of justice.

For almost six years, MuckRockers have been working to find more about how their government works, and the results have been incredible: 19,078 requests filed to 5,476 agencies, resulting in 748,950 pages released plus countless databases, spreadsheets, and other public record goodness. But behind every public records release is an agency staff member doing their job, and to them we say thanks.

In a special edition of the FBI file project, we take a look at some of the director’s greatest disses from over the decades.

Files on Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., star of ABC’s The FBI, give an idea of how the Bureau managed its reputation when given the opportunity to do so favorably, not to mention meticulously - the crime drama was directly overseen by the Bureau’s Crime Records Division and drew material from actual case files.

A little over two years ago, after a Supreme Court decision ruled that states could restrict public records to their own citizens, we launched a network of volunteers to help journalists, researchers, and activists continue to file requests. The work that’s resulted has been critical to informing the public — but we need your help to keep it going.

Thanks to four generous donors, we were able to fully fund this request! Check back next week, when the footage will be posted on the request page.

MuckRock’s Michael Morisy recently received the FCC complaints related to the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by Miley Cyrus. And while there was nowhere near the outpouring of outrage that resulted from her now infamous 2013 VMAs performance, Miley can rest easy knowing that there’s still plenty of people out there who think she’s destroying America.

Millions of people and billions of dollars have passed through the ‪detainee‬-deportation machine, which has been an active aspect of U.S. ‪immigration‬ policy for over a century. But while immigration reform‬ will be hotly debated in the public sphere through the next federal election year, the infrastructure serving the system is largely private.

47 years ago this week, Russell Jones - better known as Ol’ Dirty Bastard of the Wu-Tang Clan, or simply ODB - was born in New York City. FBI files released to Rich Jones (no relation), offer a glimpse into the multitude of investigations involving Mr. Jones, both as perpetrator and victim.

It took nearly a decade, but Ted Mosby, narrator of the long-running CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, finally got to the point in the story where he, well, met the mother. While last year’s series finale drew controversy for what some considered a last minute bait-and-switch, FCC complaints released to James C. Dziobek III were less concerned about continuity and more about Barney’s junk.

Senior executives within the Veterans Benefits Administration misused incentive programs to benefit themselves, an Inspector General report shows. Two officials went so far as to pressure subordinates into accepting unfavorable transfers to create vacancies for themselves.

Changes to North Carolina’s Department of Public Safety segregation policies in the past year have highlighted another common issue nationwide in the prison reform discussion: without adequate funding, naming the problem isn’t enough.

Curious about the literary influences of the various government agencies we deal with on a daily basis? MuckRock’s Michael Morisy ran their FOIA letters though I Write Like - a service that lets you see which famous author a given piece of writing resembles - to find out.

Though now eternalized as the familiar face of Burt’s Bees personal care products, Ingram Berg Shavitz was not always a mild-mannered beekeeper. In fact, recently released FBI files show that during his youth as a globetrotting photographer, Burt found himself the accidental protagonist in a Cold War spy thriller.

Last month, the Federal Communications Commission announced a second wave of reforms to inmate calling services. Complaints released in the wake of initial reforms, though, illustrate how companies of all sizes need closer oversight of their equipment and policies at home.

EFF and MuckRock teamed up in August to reveal how state and local law enforcement agencies are using mobile biometric technology in the field. We’re starting our analysis in California, where nine agencies indicated they were using digital fingerprinting and facial recognition software.

Over the years, we’ve looked at how asset forfeiture programs can be used as major revenue streams for law enforcement, detailing how agencies work around restrictions meant to safeguard due process and finding surprising big ticket items that were seized. Now, working with Lucy Parsons Labs, we’re looking at how one city has used asset forfeiture to fund a surge in domestic surveillance spending.