What is and isn't given in an FOIA on an unsolved homicide?

[lifeisreallygoodnow]

(mods I hope this is in the right section, please let me know if I screwed up)

Hi all,

3 questions

1. Do you know what is provided in an FOIA (freedom of information act) on an unsolved homicide. I was told you could be provided with the following (I was told you get incident reports, investigative notes, search and rescue records, Crime scene photographs, witness statements, forensic records, autopsy report, legal docs and misc docs?) Can you confirm if this is true?

2. What isn't usually found inside?

3. Can you request that FOIA from sheriff office, local police, or do you have to go to FBI? or some federal office? Basically who provides it?

Thanks kindly

 

[Laughing]

Hmmm...if you know that local municipal police, or the county Sheriff, investigated, makes sense imho to start there.

Was the FBI involved?

Is there a thread for 'your' case?

There are posters who have sent these requests -- when you bump into them on a thread, ask them!

jmho ymmv llr

 

[cenazoic]

1. Do you know what is provided in an FOIA (freedom of information act) on an unsolved homicide. I was told you could be provided with the following (I was told you get incident reports, investigative notes, search and rescue records, Crime scene photographs, witness statements, forensic records, autopsy report, legal docs and misc docs?) Can you confirm if this is true?

It is entirely dependent on the jurisdiction and the case. You could receive all, some, or none. You could receive items that have been redacted or unredacted.

3. Can you request that FOIA from sheriff office, local police, or do you have to go to FBI? or some federal office? Basically who provides it?

FOIA only applies to federal agencies, including the FBI. However, if the records you want are actually held by some local/state LE, then you’ll need to look up that state’s laws for “open records requests”.

Both the FBI and local LE can refuse to comply with record requests if the case is considered active.

 

[Turpin.Wilt]

Here is a summary of the IDAHO state statute regarding this topic (I specifically looked for this summary just the other day):