Despite an estimated 175,000 sexual assault evidence collection kits that sit untested in evidence rooms and crime labs across the country, there is no federal law in place mandating policies or testing of kits, and we don't know how many more go uncounted. This project aims to end that, one city and one kit at a time.
The programs being designed and implemented across the country under the auspices of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) have drawn fire from Muslim community members and civil rights activists. They are criticized for unfairly targeting Muslims, being used for surveillance under the pretext of community outreach, and being based on an unfounded theory of radicalization.
Despite the heavy criticism CVE has been subjected to, there remain lingering questions about precisely which communities are targeted, what research (and which experts) agencies are relying on for their approaches, how (or if) government agencies are planning to safeguard civil liberties, which community leaders are being supported and for what reasons, etc.
By making the relevant government documents public, we hope to help answer some of these questions.
Whether it's your first request or your first request *today,* it never hurts to go over the basics. MuckRock's compiled a lot of FOIA advice over the years, and with this project, it's all in one place.
Now entering its third year, FOIA March Madness pits 64 federal government agencies against each other to process an identical request for standard materials, a battle for the title of Most Responsive Agency.
Now entering year four, FOIA March Madness pits 64 federal government agencies against each other to process an identical request for standard materials, a battle for the title of Most Responsive Agency.
As we saw in Ferguson, and most recently in Dallas and Baton Rouge, every day American police look less like a neighborhood watch and more like a paramilitary force. Here's how and why that happened.
What started out as an attempt to answer a (seemingly) simple question - what is the oldest computer still in use by a government agency - has seen spiraled into a project that touches on issues of national security, record keeping, and finally finding out whatever happened to Zeos.
Everybody's a critic. And now, thanks to the FCC's easy online complaint submission form, it's never been easier to direct those criticisms to the people that need to hear it most - the United States Federal government.
This project aims to collect all the FCC complaints generated by the most critically-acclaimed programs on cable and network television ... as well as plenty of those less critically-acclaimed guilty pleasures at you still don't want to see cancelled any time soon.
Unicorn Riot reporters have filed numerous public records requests to various law enforcement and government agencies in North Dakota in the process of their reporting on struggles against the Dakota Access Pipeline. You can find them all here.
Since 1997, police departments nationwide have been able to apply for former military equipment through the Department of Defense’s 1033 program – but only with a recent increase in visibility has proof of departmental training been required for the high-powered and heavily armored vehicles obtained through this initiative.
This project aims to sift through the hundreds of thousands of pages of FBI archival material we've released, so we can better understand why the Bureau had an eye on these people - and through that, better understand who they're keeping tabs on today.
In 2015, the Massachusetts legislature seriously took on the issue of reforming its woefully inadequate public records laws for the first time since the early '70s.
But change does not come easily to the Commonwealth, and open gov advocates found themselves faced with an up(Beacon)battle over even the mildest of fixes.
Todd Feathers' investigation into the controversial world of police civil seizure exposes a troubling lack of consistency in policies and paperwork around asset forfeiture.
Cell phone surveillance technology has outpaced policy and public awareness. MuckRock is investigating precisely how law enforcement across the country use cell phones to locate and track individuals.
Transgender students face even higher rates of discrimination and violence than lesbian, gay and bisexual youth. As a result, their access to a safe and successful education is threatened daily. While politicians, parents, and the public debate legitimacy, we want to see what schools are doing to support transgender students.
After our three-year lawsuit led to the public release of 13 million pages of declassified CIA records, we've begun a daily-deep dive into the depths of the Agency's seven-decade history.
We're partnering with LittleSis to launch a crowdfunded, crowdsourced campaign to reveal how police across the country are using social media to monitor people and events.