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Iowa State Patrol releases materials on new-this-year drone program
Iowa State Patrol has recorded 245 drone flights in the last seven months, including 54 at the scenes of fatal collisions and 15 following crimes, according to its response this week to a records request.
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FOIA roundup: Major cities still stalling transparency over COVID, plus new FOIA resources
In this week’s FOIA roundup, we highlight how COVID-19 is still delaying transparency in cities across America, even as its needed more than ever. Plus helpful resources for fighting for transparency from our friends at the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press and the FOIA Project.
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Here are the COVID-related reasons major cities are giving to delay records requests
Some of the nation’s largest cities are stilling using COVID-19 as an excuse to delay records requests.
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No Wisconsin response deadlines let police control narrative following Kenosha shootings
Police statements, but no records, have followed the shooting of Jacob Blake, a barrier to public access made stronger by a weak Open Records law.
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Release Notes: WordPress Integration for the DocumentCloud Beta
WordPress is the most popular content management system on the web. With a significant number of newsrooms using WordPress under the hood, our existing DocumentCloud WordPress plugin has been a crucial bridge to bring primary source documents to the masses. Now, the plugin has been updated to fully support DocumentCloud and the new DocumentCloud Beta.
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More than 1,500 records requests to advance police transparency have been filed thanks to MuckRock’s readers
More than 1,000 MuckRock readers have let us know that they want more transparency around how their local law enforcement agency does its job. You can join them.
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Release Notes: Note and page embeds, sharing come to the DocumentCloud Beta
One of DocumentCloud’s most powerful and visible features is sharing documents and notes. Embed your document in your article or website. Share the link to a note within your document. Here’s how to do it in the DocumentCloud Beta.
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Watchdog report finds ICE’s detainee complaint process inadequate
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) doesn’t really keep track of whether thousands of detainee complaints each year are addressed, doesn’t use the data it has to improve facility conditions, and still doesn’t actually equire action to be taken on issues identified by inspectors, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released this week.
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Requester’s Voice: SPJ Oregon’s Rachel Alexander
The president of SPJ Oregon talks about how the state’s restrictions on public health data make it more difficult to understand COVID, offers tips to new filers, and tells us about her favorite Magic-related records request.
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Join MuckRock and Campaign Zero as we collect and analyze every police union contract
Police unions often get a very large seat at the table regarding disciplinary action, compensation, and even public records. Help the public learn more.
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Dozens of Atlanta police officers have resigned since the shooting of Rayshard Brooks
In the days after Floyd’s death, then-Chief of Police Erika Shields became a visible law enforcement supporter of protestors. Then the Atlanta Police Department created its own reason for national outcry.
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FOIA Roundup: Buckwheat could block mining, abusive coaching, and the lobby for utility shutoffs
Each week, we highlight some of the best stories brought into the world by the Freedom of Information Act. See some we missed? Please let us know!
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Release Notes: MuckRock’s biggest upgrade in years is one we hope you won’t notice
MuckRock’s software is written in Python on top of the Django platform, and we’re doing a major upgrade from Python 2 and Django 1.11 to Python 3 and Django 2.2. It’s one of our most major MuckRock changes in years — and one we hope will have a minimal impact on day-to-day usage.
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We want to know the policy on officer-involved domestic violence
The circumstances around domestic violence situations can be complicated — even more so when one of those involved is a member of law enforcement. How are police expected to handle it?
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The FOIA Roundup: Trump’s visit to CIA HQ & three minutes to police transparency
This week’s update from the world of public records
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Inside Trump’s rushed — and heavily redacted — visit to CIA headquarters
Presidential visits, whether to rustic diners or clandestine headquarters, are always both meticulously planned and opportunities for unexpected chaos. When it’s President Trump visiting the CIA, the notoriously tight-lipped staff find themselves wrangling for seats and dealing with logistics that, unsurprisingly, were remarkably fluid for a trip just across the Potomac.
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Have three minutes? Take action on policing accountability
In just a few clicks of your keyboard, you can be on your way to knowing more about how your police department uses, abuses, and wastes taxpayer funding and trust.
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Over a hundred people have requested their police use-of-force policies — join them!
On June 5, MuckRock began an Assignment to help begin to better understand how use of force policies and data are being tracked by local law enforcement agencies. We’ve had nearly 100 submissions from all over the country, but you can still add yours.
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Federal policing legislation could require more oversight for DHS agents, too
The Justice in Policing Act, meant to help address oversight issues in local policing nationwide, could also help provide some needed accountability for federal law enforcement in situations like those currently in Portland and Chicago.
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FOIA Roundup: Federal overreach, personal emails and your easy options for police accountability
As the national COVID-19 death toll passes the official 150,000 mark, the country is staring down the possibility of a second round of shutdowns. Major U.S. cities, however, have another challenger they’re preparing to confront: federal agents sent to subdue the residents in the streets challenging racism and police brutality. FOIA can help better understand the government’s crackdown.
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Release Notes: A new DocumentCloud viewer
The DocumentCloud Beta has a new document viewer. Internally nicknamed “scrolly zoomy,” this new viewer mimics modern PDF viewers: With a simple pinch on laptop trackpads and mobile devices, a document can now be zoomed smoothly. Plus, the triumphant return of page notes.
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Thursday Webinar: Using medical examiner data to understand COVID-19’s full impact
As part of our ongoing COVID Public Info collaboration, we’re hosting a free webinar this Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern detailing how to read local medical examiner data. RSVP today and register for future updates.
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“Literally every police department in America” uses unmarked vehicles, says one DHS official. Help find out if that’s true.
In defending his agency, the acting deputy head of Homeland Security insisted every police department in America uses unmarked cars. File a request in your community to find out how many they have and how they use them.
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FOIA Roundup: Cop cover-ups and COVID as an excuse
This week we have more updates on policing transparency — and the lack thereof — as well as the unusual inspiration for a very hot FOIA tip. Read on for all of our FOIA updates.
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Requests to all 50 states show massive PPE order backlogs remain, even as federal programs wind down
For months, governors across the country have put in requests for more protective equipment for healthcare and other frontline workers. Despite federal assurances that equipment shortages were in a better place, many orders remain unfilled.