A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Richland County Sheriff's Department in Wisconsin on October 22, 2024. The request was made by SW Wisconsin News, a media organization dedicated to delivering comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.
In the pursuit of transparency and accountability, we at SW Wisconsin News requested all arrest records from January 1, 2024, to the present day under the Wisconsin Open Records Law, §19.31 et seq. We expressed our preference for these records to be provided in an electronic format.
The specific data points we asked for in the arrest records include: arrestee name, sex, race, age, date of birth (DOB), citizenship status; booking ID; date of arrest; booking photo; name(s) of arresting officer(s); type and location of crime; and date of crime.
As members of the media committed to 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, we believe we are eligible for a fee waiver as media professionals.
We await a response from the Richland County Sheriff's Department regarding this FOIA request.
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