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Freedom of Information Offices by State

Freedom of Information Offices by State

By: Joseph Giacalone

Freedom of Information Offices can be your greatest teammate in the effort to solve cold cases. If you are, or want to be, a cold case advocate, then you will need this list of the Freedom of Information Offices by state. The National Coalition of Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC) has created a page on their website that provides access to each state that has a FOIA Office.

Writing Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) or Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests will be part of your routine when investigating and helping out victims’ families searching for information on cold cases. It is a vital part of obtaining official documents from a variety of governmental entities. Whether it’s the police department, courts, or the medical examiner / coroner, you will need to understand what is available through a request and what is not. For instance, reports from the medical examiner / coroner are generally not available to the public - it would require a request made by a family member. 

The more you write FOIL requests the more proficient you will be. They take skill and sometimes, the briefer, the better. What exactly do I mean? Make sure your request is Clear, Concise, and Correct; a long-winded request won’t work. Why say something in five sentences that you can say in two? Before sending off your request, remember to double check your facts and that you have spelled out exactly what you are looking to obtain. 

Access the NFOIC webpage HERE

Are you interested in learning more about how to help families investigate a cold case? Then check out The Cold Case Handbook.
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