Have you ever filed a FOIA request?

[Anonymous]

I hear people talk about FOIA requests (in regards to local / city government near me, not in DC)
Just wondering if anyone here has actually done it and whether it was fruitful. It came up in a group of friends and one person mentioned they wouldn't do it for fear of retribution from whomever the request is going to.

I guess I'm just wondering how often FOIA is used in day to day life.

[Anonymous]

FOIA officer here- most requesters are NGOs, law firms or news media. I have never seen retribution.

[Anonymous]

I'm an investigator so do them pretty frequently for work. It's often successful but can take time. There are multiple grounds for which requests can be denied as well. Curious about what your friends want to request and what type of retribution they're concerned about? FOIAs are a pretty normal part of public/government life. There are companies that also do the request for you if your friends want to keep their names out of the FOIA logs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm an investigator so do them pretty frequently for work. It's often successful but can take time. There are multiple grounds for which requests can be denied as well. Curious about what your friends want to request and what type of retribution they're concerned about? FOIAs are a pretty normal part of public/government life. There are companies that also do the request for you if your friends want to keep their names out of the FOIA logs.

Ehh don't give money to these leeches. You can easily make up a fake name if you want to FOIA. They don't ask for any proof of who you are.