After pocketing $180 in fees for a public records request, the Massachusetts State Police turned around and attempted to convince the state supervisor of public records that the agency didn’t have to turn the records over.

When a Massachusetts agency tries to charge a requester a fee for “segregation” (also known as “redacting”), that agency is supposed to cite the applicable exemptions to the Public Records Law. While it’s not uncommon for an agency to cite two, three, or even four exemptions, when Andrew Quemere asked the Massachusetts State Police for its internal evidence audits, the department cited a whopping 17 of them to justify its $615 fee.