A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Crawford County Sheriff's Office on October 22, 2024. The request was made by us at the Crawford Times, a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.
The FOIA request seeks access to all arrest records from January 1, 2024, to the present day. The requested data points include arrestee name, sex, race, age, date of birth (DOB), citizenship status, booking ID, date of arrest, booking photo, names of arresting officers, type of crime committed, location of crime and date of crime.
As members of the media organization Crawford Times, we are involved in gathering and reporting news to the public. Access to public records is essential for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities. These responsibilities include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public.
Given our role in disseminating information and our commitment towards ensuring transparency in public affairs reporting, we believe we are eligible for a fee waiver as a media professional.
We await a response from the Crawford County Sheriff's Office regarding this FOIA request.