A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department in Wisconsin on October 22, 2024. The request was made by us at Green Bay Reporter, a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.
We are seeking all arrest records from January 1, 2024, to the present day under the Wisconsin Open Records Law, §19.31 et seq. We have requested these records preferably in an electronic format for ease of access and analysis.
The specific data points we are interested in include the arrestee’s name, sex, race, age, date of birth (DOB), citizenship status, booking ID, date of arrest and booking photo. We also asked for information about the arresting officer(s), type of crime committed, location of the crime and date of the crime.
As a media organization 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, we believe we are eligible for a fee waiver as a media professional. This would help ensure that financial constraints do not hinder our ability to provide comprehensive news coverage.
We will continue to follow up with this request and keep our readers updated on any developments.
