You may recall that this blog was started under a personal challenge to send 30 Freedom of Information Act requests in the month of June to 30 separate government agencies. And on June 30, FOIA Geek completed its challenge! Now to look forward to the records…. There are also a lot of summaries to be written, with all of those requests too. So stay tuned!

Below, a picture of all the mail receipts used in the effort, and a new log is coming soon.

Readers will recall that this site used the US government’s Federal Procurement Data System to help write the first Freedom of Information Act request featured here. Well, today we’re going to show how to use another government database to write records requests.

Background

Since at least 2005, the Customs and Border Protection agency (better known as the Border Patrol) has been using Predator aircraft drones, presumably for surveillance and intelligence functions along the country’s borders.

Under the Obama administration, the agency’s financial resources have only surged, and the Border Patrol is now buying new equipment–including another Predator drone–to bulk up a law enforcement presence along the US-Mexico border specifically.

In fact, in his immigration speech yesterday in Washington D.C., President Obama stated that right now, there are “more boots on the ground” on the US-Mex. border than there have ever been in history.

Why I Did It

Not only is the Border Patrol notoriously known for having significant problems with corruption, it is also a reckless agency. On June 7, an agent shot and killed 15-year-old Sergio Adrian Hernandez, a Mexican boy who was on the Mexican side of the El Paso-Juarez line when he was shot. The incident jarred human rights groups and international community. Mexico politicos also condemned the action. Initially, Border Patrol officials tried to save face, and accused the boy of throwing rocks at officers before the agent used his weapon. But a cellphone video of the incident later showed that information to be dubious at best. Sensing that their version of events was waffling, government officials then whispered rumors to the media that Adrian Hernandez was a “human trafficker,” another claim that has yet to be proven.

Only two weeks before the shooting, Border Patrol agents were also be accused of fatally beating undocumented immigrant Anastacio Hernández Rojas in California on May 26. He was reportedly left brain dead after agents used stun guns on him. The agency claims Hernández Rojas became “combative” before force was used, but his death has been ruled a homicide by the San Diego County medical examiner’s office and an investigation is ongoing.

But even without these disturbing instances, there is no denying that the US-Mex. border is becoming increasingly militarized, and I mean that quite literally. The White House recently requested more than 1,000 National Guards troops to be deployed there, and now the Border Patrol is buying more Predator drones–planes which are more commonly used by the armed forces and Central Intelligence Agency to support military operations in the Middle East.

I will no doubt be following up with the deadly incidents mentioned above, once the investigations into the deaths are complete. But for now, I think this contract I’m requesting might hold some useful tidbits specifying the Border Patrol’s drone operations along the border.

How I Did It

So how did I find out the Border Patrol was buying another Predator drone (better known as the MQ-9 Reaper)?

It was all thanks to the Federal Business Opportunities Web site, a federal procurement database system which includes contract solicitations and awards for a number government agencies in need of services and materials.

The best part about the database is that it’s easy to use. In this instance, I simply put in “Customs and Border Protection” in the agency search field, like so:

Then I went through the search results to find a contract award for the Predator, issued on June 3 (click on image to make it larger):

Once I found what I wanted, I clicked on the link and got more information about the contract:

The Final Product

Using the “Writing the First FOIA Request” feature on this site, here’s what I came up with:

Dear FOIA Officer:

Pursuant to the federal Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, I request access to and copies of any and all documents and records pertaining to a UAS Predator B Aircraft contract, awarded to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and posted on June 3, 2010. The solicitation number is UAS20052095, and the contract award number is _HSBP1010C00026 for a $13,684,992 amount. I am requesting the contract, along with any records or communications relating to said contract in any way.

I agree to pay reasonable duplication fees for the processing of this request in an amount not to exceed $50. However, please notify me prior to your incurring any expenses in excess of that amount.

As a representative of the news media I am only required to pay for the direct cost of duplication after the first 100 pages. Through this request, I am gathering information on government operations in the United States, and that is of current interest to the public because said operations affect the safety of our communities. This information is being sought for dissemination to the general public. I’m currently a freelance journalist. I’ve written for a number of publications, including the Columbia Journalism Review, AFN Tokyo, The American Independent News Network, Huffington Post, and Viva Colorado.

If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act. I will also expect you to release all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material. I, of course, reserve the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information or to deny a waiver of fees.

As I am making this request as a journalist and this information is of timely value, I would appreciate your communicating with me if you have questions regarding this request.

I look forward to your reply within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Thank you for your assistance.

A PDF to this FOIA can be found here.

Allow me to introduce you to what I like to call the meta-FOIA, a records request to a government agency which focuses on obtaining information about other records requests that were sent to the agency. Basically you use a FOIA to get information about other FOIAs.

Often times meta-FOIAs can provide you with wonderful ideas for your own records requests, along with valuable documents.

Background

Some agencies, like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), keep what are called “FOIA logs” online. A FOIA log is simply a log of all records requests received by an agency. They usually include FOIA case numbers, the name of the entity requesting the records, what is being requested, and the status of the request.

Here is an example (click to enlarge):

Other agencies—most notably the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which has a reputation for balking at records requests—do not keep FOIA logs online. In fact, the DEA doesn’t even have any records in its “Electronic Reading Room,” which is actually quite uncommon, in my experience.

Take a look:

Most agencies also keep documentation of the actual FOIAs that are sent to them, along with any records that were released with the requests. This means anyone can use a FOIA to see how others—news organizations, attorneys, journalists and other “professionals”—not only use the FOIA to get the information they want, but what documents they received from their requests.

Why I Did It

I decided to approach these two FOIAs in separate ways. First I decided to send a request to an agency that already publishes FOIA logs. I picked ICE, and asked the agency for any records related to a specific FOIA request that was sent by the Center for Investigative Reporting (mentioned in log picture above) in November 2009, requesting information related to immigration detention.

Since I know the Center for Investigative Reporting does great work, I’m sure I can learn a lot by seeing just how they wrote that FOIA request.

I then picked the DEA, an agency that doesn’t release FOIA logs, as the target of a request which would seek the Administration’s recent logs. That way I may be able to get some ideas of what other people have requested from the agency in the past, and use that information to write better FOIAs.

How I Did It

With ICE, I used the agency’s current FOIA logs to help me write up a letter asking for the FOIA case file (any documents related to a specific FOIA) for the Center for Investigative Reporting request (Case # 905).

On the DEA request, I was lucky enough to have found older FOIA logs (warning, large PDF) from the agency which were requested and publicly released by Government Attic, a watchdog Website. With that, I was able to ascertain what the DEA’s logs were officially called the “Yearly Request Reports,” and that made my FOIA much more practical. It’s important to remember that you always want to be as specific as possible when sending a request.

The Final Products

Using the “Writing the First FOIA Request” feature on this site, here’s what I came up with:

Dear FOIA Officer:

Pursuant to the federal Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, I request access to and copies of all Drug Enforcement Administration logs for Freedom of Information Act requests, beginning January 1, 2010 until present day. I would also like a copy of FOIA logs for the year 2009. The records I seek are usually contained in a DEA document called a “EFOIA Report” or the “FOIA Yearly Request Report.”

I agree to pay reasonable duplication fees for the processing of this request in an amount not to exceed $50. However, please notify me prior to your incurring any expenses in excess of that amount.

As a representative of the news media I am only required to pay for the direct cost of duplication after the first 100 pages. Through this request, I am gathering information on the federal prison system in the United States, and that is of current interest to the public because the safety of our society’s prison facilities affects the safety of our communities. This information is being sought for dissemination to the general public. I’m currently a freelance journalist. I’ve written for a number of publications, including the Columbia Journalism Review, AFN Tokyo, The American Independent News Network, Huffington Post, and Viva Colorado.

If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act. I will also expect you to release all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material. I, of course, reserve the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information or to deny a waiver of fees.

As I am making this request as a journalist and this information is of timely value, I would appreciate your communicating with me if you have questions regarding this request.

I look forward to your reply within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Thank you for your assistance.

A PDF to this FOIA can be found here.

And:

Dear FOIA Officer:

Pursuant to the federal Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, I request access to and copies of any and all documents and records pertaining to a specific Freedom of Information Act request: a FOIA submitted by the Center for Investigative Reporting and received 11/12/2009, according to ICE FOIA logs. (Case number, 905.) I also request any documents that were given by ICE in response to this specific FOIA request.

I agree to pay reasonable duplication fees for the processing of this request in an amount not to exceed $50. However, please notify me prior to your incurring any expenses in excess of that amount.

As a representative of the news media I am only required to pay for the direct cost of duplication after the first 100 pages. Through this request, I am gathering information on the federal prison system in the United States, and that is of current interest to the public because the safety of our society’s prison facilities affects the safety of our communities. This information is being sought for dissemination to the general public. I’m currently a freelance journalist. I’ve written for a number of publications, including the Columbia Journalism Review, AFN Tokyo, The American Independent News Network, Huffington Post, and Viva Colorado.

If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act. I will also expect you to release all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material. I, of course, reserve the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information or to deny a waiver of fees.

As I am making this request as a journalist and this information is of timely value, I would appreciate your communicating with me if you have questions regarding this request.

I look forward to your reply within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Thank you for your assistance.

A PDF to this FOIA can be found here.

This Web site was born out of a challenge to submit one FOIA request each day in the month of June. That’s 30 requests in 30 days. To make it more fun, I decided to make up a rule stating that the requests must also be sent to 30 separate government agencies. And with the giant bureaucracy that is the United States the challenge really hasn’t been too difficult to take on. The hardest part was culling the creativity that was needed to write so many effective FOIA requests—requests that would not simply be sent just because they could be sent, but requests that would be the most likely to net interesting records and have an impact.

Many federal agencies keep a log of all of the FOIAs they receive, but today I’m going to provide a log of all of the FOIA I’ve sent. So here it is, what FOIAGeek.com has been toiling away at all this month. The log includes the agencies I sent the FOIAs to, along with a brief summary of what I’m asking for. (Remember, these reports are based mostly on my interests, which tend to focus on Latin America and the drug war.) So far, the government has already responded to a number of requests I sent at the beginning of the month, and there will be more detailed posts explaining the requests I still haven’t had the chance to write about here.

The FOIAGeek Challenge Log (click on the image to enlarge):

Believe me, there’s a lot more to come.

I’m happy to report that the first three FOIAs filed by this blog have all been promptly responded to by the government, so if you want to get an idea of how the entire FOIA process is done, these documents provide a good example of how obtaining federal records works. Provided there are no initial problems with a request, an agency should get back to you (usually in 20 business days after receiving a FOIA) with an acknowledgment that they have received the request, along with a case number, fee information and sometimes a assigned “FOIA Specialist” who will be handling the case.

Here are the responses I’ve received so far–one was E-mailed to me by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID–they called me and asked if it would be OK to correspond by E-mail, and I said yes, as the original FOIA has already been recorded and it will save paper), the Bureau of Prisons, and the National Drug Intelligence Center. You can also click on the images to see a PDF Version of each image.

On the requesting March 2010 United States Agency For International Development Assessment Of Honduras:

Ms. Erin Rosa
RE: FOIA Tracking No. F-00198-10
AID-DOT-I-15-08-00017

Dear Ms. Rosa,
The FOIA specialist assigned to your request is Ms. Kimberly Frazier. Ms. Frazier will request the document(s) from the appropriate office(s) for review. We will contact you when this process is completed. Please note that there is a delay in the processing of requests at this time.

Your processing category is “All Others.” The fees are as follows:

Search – $31.94 per hour except the first two hours are free
Review – No fee
Duplication – 20 cents per page after the first 100 pages

Since you provided your commitment to pay up to $50.00, we will begin the processing
of your request.

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Frazier on 202-712-1218 or by
email at kfrazier@usaid.gov.

Sincerely,
Sylvia Lankford
Sylvia Lankford
FOIA Team Leader
USAID
Information and Records Division
Office of Administrative Services

On requesting Bureau Of Prisons “Ammunition, Less Lethal and Chemical Munitions Usage” records From January 1, 2008 to current date:

On requesting intelligence bulletins from the National Drug Intelligence Center:

More coming soon!

Sometimes writing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request can be a lot easier than it looks. Sometimes all you have to do is visit an agency’s Website to determine what documents or records may be available. That’s what happened with this FOIA. I used the Webpage from the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) to figure out what records I wanted.

Background

The NDIC is an entity in the Department of Justice that monitors and publishes intelligence reports relating to narcotics trafficking. Unfortunately, you usually have to be a member of law enforcement to receive these reports. But with FOIA any member of the public should have access to these reports, as they are government records, no?

Why I Did It

NDIC intelligence reports and bulletins are usually highly coveted by those who cover the drug war—even though the actual accuracy of the intelligence could wind up being very wrong—but they’re still interesting to read to at least get an idea of what the Department of Justice is thinking when it comes to the booming narcotics trade.

How I Did It

All you have to do is go to the NDIC Website to read that the agency routinely releases intelligence briefs which are “developed in response to new trends or high-priority drug issues. They are quickly relayed to the law enforcement and intelligence communities and are intended to warn law enforcement officials of emerging trends.”

Seeing this, I decided to go all out and request all intelligence briefs or bulletins pertaining to Mexico, Central America, and South America (my areas of interest) from January 1, 2008 to current date.

The Final Product

Using the “Writing the First FOIA Request” feature on this site, here’s what I came up with:

Dear FOIA Officer:

Pursuant to the federal Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, I request access to and copies of all intelligence bulletins and briefs released by NDIC pertaining to Mexico, Central America, and South America from January 1, 2008 to current date.

Numerous media outlets have reported on the existence of specific NDIC intelligence briefs relating to Latin America, and more specifically, Mexico. These bulletins are also usually sent to law enforcement personnel and other NDIC users.

I agree to pay reasonable duplication fees for the processing of this request in an amount not to exceed $50. However, please notify me prior to your incurring any expenses in excess of that amount.

As a representative of the news media I am only required to pay for the direct cost of duplication after the first 100 pages. Through this request, I am gathering information relating to counter drug efforts in Latin America, and that is of current interest to the public because the success of said efforts affects the safety of communities. This information is being sought for dissemination to the general public. I’m currently a freelance journalist. I’ve written for a number of publications, including the Columbia Journalism Review, AFN Tokyo, The American Independent News Network, Huffington Post, and Viva Colorado.

If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act. I will also expect you to release all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material. I, of course, reserve the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information or to deny a waiver of fees.

As I am making this request as a journalist and this information is of timely value, I would appreciate your communicating with me if you have questions regarding this request.

I look forward to your reply within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Thank you for your assistance.

A PDF to this FOIA can be found here.

Sometimes you may know exactly what kind of data you want from a government agency, but you’re not sure how to get it. For instance, if I want to know exactly how many disruptions between inmates and guards took place in a federal prison, and what, if any, weapons were used during the confrontation, it will be difficult for me to fill out a FOIA requesting that information, since I have no idea how the information is stored, what it’s called, or where it’s located.

Common sense tells us that the data exists, since it’s been cited before by the agency, but remember, a FOIA can only request records that already exist. The agency handling the request is under no obligation to create or compile information that is being requested in a FOIA, or to even answer questions by means of a FOIA.

Sometimes this means you’ll have to pull your own sources from within an agency in order to get at the information. This is not necessarily the easiest thing to do, and I won’t go into source cultivation here, but sometimes it’s really the only way you’re going to be able to FOIA exactly what you’re looking for.

Background

The Bureau of Prisons is the agency in charge of running the nation’s penitentiaries, including the infamous Administrative Maximum facility in Southern Colorado—the country’s only super maximum security prison.

Under the George W. Bush administration’s attempt to starve the federal prison beast in favor of privatized lockups, in 2005 the bureau implemented what it called “mission critical,” which brought down staffing numbers to the lowest levels possible for facilities to operate safely. But even “mission critical” levels weren’t being kept, and there were numerous complaints by guards that the cuts were jeopardizing the lives of workers and inmates—with entire units in the Supermax prison being completely vacated for 18 hours or more, for instance. (I’ve physically examined the staffing roasters myself.)

Unfortunately, the working environment inside US prisons continues to be unsafe, with a reported increase in violent assaults and confrontations, according to guards. And with the Obama administration bogged down on other issues, it’s unknown when it will be fixed.

Why I Did It

Since the Bureau of Prisons continues to categorically deny that its facilities are unsafe due to the staffing cuts, the only way to find proof is by talking to the people who work in the prisons, and requesting documents like the “Ammunition, Less Lethal and Chemical Munitions Usage” records, which will help prove that point.

The Bureau’s “Ammunition, Less Lethal and Chemical Munitions Usage” is used in each prison to monitor when confrontations between guards and inmates occur, where they occur, and what less-than-lethal or live weapons are used during the incident. This will be able to tell us how violent certain prisons are getting, and the extent that the dwindling staff must use weapons to quell the violence.

How I Did It

The only way I know about the “Ammunition, Less Lethal and Chemical Munitions Usage” records is because someone who works for the federal prison system told me about it years ago, and even gave me a sample of what the document looks like, when taken from the Federal Correctional Complex in Florence, Colorado, where the Supermax prison is located.

Here’s a picture:

What this document is saying is that there were three incidents at this correctional complex in less than two weeks—one in the Supermax, and two in the high-security penitentiary neighboring the Supermax.

On March 27, 2008 “3ea. 12 gauge shotgun tactical blast dispersion rounds and 1ea. .223 round was fired from Tower #8 to help cease inmate movement during a fight on the compound,“ according to the document. While on April 3, at the Supermax, “approximately 40 pepper balls, two 2-second OC burst and Six sting ball rounds fired from the L-8 were discharged while doing a calculated use of force on a disruptive inmate.”

To find out more information, I’ve FOIA’d the Bureau for this data at a number of prisons in different regions across the country.

The Final Product

In the end, using the “Writing the First FOIA Request” feature on this site, here’s what I came up with:

Dear FOIA Officer:

Pursuant to the federal Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, I request access to and copies of any and all records and data relating to “AMMUNITION, LESS LETHAL AND CHEMICAL MUNITIONS USAGE” reports filed by Bureau employees at BOP facilities USP Big Sandy, USP Lompoc, USP Florence High, USP Florence ADMAX, and USP Coleman I and II starting from January 1, 2008 to current date.

This document, titled “AMMUNITION, LESS LETHAL AND CHEMICAL MUNITIONS USAGE,” is typically on computer systems at BOP facilities. This document header says “Please enter the information regarding any usage of ammunition, less lethal or chemical munitions during the quarter for any purpose other than training (to include accidental discharges).” The document then asks for BOP employees to log a date and add “Brief description of the incident, number and type of ammunition/munitions, used, etc.”

I agree to pay reasonable duplication fees for the processing of this request in an amount not to exceed $50. However, please notify me prior to your incurring any expenses in excess of that amount.

As a representative of the news media I am only required to pay for the direct cost of duplication after the first 100 pages. Through this request, I am gathering information on the federal prison system in the United States, and that is of current interest to the public because the safety of our society’s prison facilities affects the safety of our communities. This information is being sought for dissemination to the general public. I’m currently a freelance journalist. I’ve written for a number of publications, including the Columbia Journalism Review, AFN Tokyo, The American Independent News Network, Huffington Post, and Viva Colorado.

If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act. I will also expect you to release all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material. I, of course, reserve the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information or to deny a waiver of fees.

As I am making this request as a journalist and this information is of timely value, I would appreciate your communicating with me if you have questions regarding this request.

I look forward to your reply within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Thank you for your assistance.

A PDF to this FOIA can be found here.

I use the Freedom of Information Act to find information on a number of issues, mostly having to do with the Latin America, law enforcement, corrections, labor and immigration beats, so not all of my requests here will be useful or even interesting to everyone. But what I can do is walk readers though the steps I use to write my FOIAs and give concrete examples that will help readers to look for the documents that interest them.

So here is the first one I wrote for June 1 as part of my extreme plan to submit 30 FOIAs in 30 days—basically one per day for the entire month.

Background:

Since June 2009, Honduras government has been rocked by an illegal military coup, supported by a small oligarchy in the Central American country that is determined to maintain power through intimidation and assassinations of dissidents and journalists. This oligarchy rejects calls from the majority of the population to create a new, more just, constitution. In fact, when former democratically-elected Honduran president Mel Zelaya made an executive decree allowing people to simply vote on whether they wanted to have another vote to convene a National Constituent Assembly for the purpose of writing a new constitution, he was forcefully removed from office at gunpoint by the military, and forced on to a plane out of the country. That happened June 28, almost a year ago this month.

Since then, the situation has not improved. The vast majority of the world, including the United States, condemned the coup shortly after it happened. The White House made sure to cease foreign aid to the coup government, and even canceled US visas for a number of the coup plotters and supporters. While Honduran presidential elections were set to take place on November 29, 2009, the consensus in the human rights and international community was that free and fair elections could not take place under such circumstances, especially while the coup cabal was beating and killing Hondurans who opposed the de facto government.

Eventually Zelaya managed to sneak back into his country in September, where he ended up trapped inside the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa after the coup government had promised to prosecute him, and even used weapons against the embassy to try and get the ex-president to come out. In the middle of all of this, the State Department negotiated what was called the San Jose Accord to create a reconciliation government and bring Zelaya back to power before the November elections. But when the coup government ignored it, the department did nothing.

After that fiasco, the State Department made a huge lapse in judgment, and decided to recognize the voting results in the election, which gave the presidency to coup supporter Porfirio Lobo. Despite the fact that there are mountains of evidence showing that the election was not legitimate—more than half of the voters stayed home, there was an intimidating military presence around polling places, there was the fact that anti-coup media outlets had been shut down and harassed, and there was video of people being searched and arrested during the election—the State Department recognized the vote anyway.

To date, the oligarchy continues to hold onto the reigns of power, and you hear about more and more journalists and dissidents being killed, presumably by the government or paramilitaries working for the government. On top of that, in March of this year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced her department would be reinstating aid to the government.

Why I Did It

While searching though one of the numerous government databases I use to fish for stories and other information, I found that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had paid a private contractor about $21,000 to conduct what the agency called an “assessment” of Honduras in March of this year.  Although the USAID is an independent government agency, it’s also very closely tied to the State Department, and manages the foreign assistance given by the Untied States each year.

The business, called the Qed Group, was hired by USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), to conduct what the contractor calls a “Program Development Quickly (PDQ) II.” According to the Qed Group, the USAID OTI “provides fast, flexible, short-term assistance to countries undergoing a political transition or emerging from civil conflict ” and the PDQ II product monitors and evaluates certain countries, provides “individualized training, team building and strategy sessions, and staff retreats,” and “short-term technical assistance.”

While I’m not sure exactly what the Qed Group did for USAID in March, I do know that there was some kind of assessment prepared, and that the assessment, as well as anything connected to it, should be public information. There’s also the fact that the State Department made its decision to reinstate funding to Honduras in March, too. I’m not sure if that is a coincidence or not, but obtaining the Qed Group assessment documents will help me find out.

How I Did It

1. The first thing I did was to go to the Federal Procurement Data System, a government Web site the keeps procurement and contracting information. In order to use it, you have to create an account login. But doing that is free, and once you log in you should see a big window advertising the “EZ Search” feature. Click on that.

2. So now that I have a search box open I type in “Honduras,” making sure to leave the word in quotation marks so the database will find an exact match to it. There are multiple ways to search for things in the FPDS database that are more precise and accurate, but this way is simple and effective. Once the search term is in, click on the “Go” button.

3. Now forget about the data you see in front of you. Direct your attention to the right side, where you will see a box that says “Sort by.” Once you see that click on “Date Signed,” while making sure the “Sort order” up above is set to “Descending.”

4. Now you can look at the data, which is sorted into rectangular boxes. The most recent contractual tranaction dealing with Honduras will show up at the top, and go down from there. In order to see the details of a certain transaction, click on “View.”

5. When you choose to view a certain transaction, like the one with the Qed Group, you’ll see what’s called a Procurement Identifier number (also known as a PID) at the top. Copy it down, as such identifying information will need to be mentioned in the FOIA to help government officials to better track down the contract.

6. To learn what a certain transaction is about, scroll down to the bottom of the page until you see a text box with the words “Description of Requirement” to the left of it. From this box, we see that the Qed Group has been hired to “conduct an assessment in Honduras.”

The Final Product

Using instructions from the “Writing the First FOIA Request” feature on this site, I penned the request in about 45 minutes. I was also sure to include any information from the database that might make it easier for USAID to find what I’m looking for, including the procurement identifier, the award amount, the business name, and the date. For my own reasons, I identified myself as a scholar for this request, but I usually identify as a journalist.

Here is the final product:

Dear FOIA Officer:

Pursuant to the federal Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, I request access to and copies of any and all communications or records relating to the USAID and The Qed Group, LLC.—specifically relating in any way to federal contract with procurement identifier (pid) #AIDDOTI150800017 on the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS)— including E-mails, presentations, phone calls, or notes, sent or received by USAID staff or officials from May 1, 2008 to current date.

According to the FPDS, the USAID offered a delivery/task order to The Qed Group, LLC. (DUNS No. 068512610) signed 03/02/2010, with completion set for 03/26/2010. The award obligation is also worth $20,848.41, according to the federal database, with principal place of performance in Honduras.

A summary for the contract on FPDS states that USAID has commissioned The Qed Group, LLC. To conduct what the contractor calls a “”a task order under Program Development Quickly II (PDQ II) to conduct an assessment in Honduras.”

I am hereby requesting the results of said PDQ II assessment, along with any and all solicitations, proposals, and contracts relating to the task order with the PID #AIDDOTI150800017 in the FPDS, along with any and all communications records relating to said contract/task order in any way.

I agree to pay reasonable duplication fees for the processing of this request in an amount not to exceed $50. However, please notify me prior to your incurring any expenses in excess of that amount.

If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act. I will also expect you to release all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material. I, of course, reserve the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information or to deny a waiver of fees.

As I am making this request as a scholar and this information is of timely value, I would appreciate your communicating with me by telephone, rather than by mail, if you have questions regarding this request.

I look forward to your reply within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Thank you for your assistance.

A PDF to this FOIA can be found here.

When I wrote my first Freedom of Information Act request in 2006, I made two horrific mistakes. One, I failed to ask for records within the meaning and intent of FOIA, causing the government agency I was corresponding with to quickly deny my request. Two, the agency I was requesting records from was the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) under the reign of George W. Bush, which had the reputation of being one of the toughest agencies to successfully obtain records from in the first place.

I was working for a daily at the time, covering state elections in Colorado, with a specific focus on an amendment in November 2006 to legalize up to an ounce of marijuana for adults 21 years and older. At the time, Bush’s White House was determined to interfere with the vote in any way possible, with the President’s Office of National Drug Control Policy flying into the state to hold press conferences about the evils of marijuana, and Denver DEA agents giving bogus information about how the amendment would cause a surge in crime.

It was clear that the federal government was interfering with Colorado elections, but their crusade took an even more disturbing turn when a leaked E-mail allegedly revealed that the DEA was actively funding and organizing opposition forces to the state amendment:

It all started last Sunday, when Ryan Morgan, a staff writer for the Boulder Daily Camera, reported that a DEA agent had authored an e-mail seeking a campaign manager to help defeat the marijuana initiative.

In the letter, an agent name Michael Moore appears to mention an organization called “Colorado’s Marijuana Information Committee,” and says that $10,000 is available to launch a campaign. The note also included Moore’s cell and work number, along with a Department of Justice E-mail address.

When the story first broke, the DEA had taken credit for the E-mail, and claimed the $10,000 came from private and anonymous donations. However, a few days later, the  DEA then denied ever sending the E-mail.

Finding that suspicious, I drafted my first FOIA request to the DEA in September of that year, looking for “all documents pertaining to the SAFER Amendment 44 in Colorado,” the DEA, and the so-called “ Marijuana Information Committee.”

Not only did a response to my FOIA take longer than usual due to what the DEA said was a “large backlogging” of requests, they also flatly denied my request, stating in a Oct. 19 response that:

Your recent request letter does not reasonably describe any records within the meaning and intent of the Freedom of Information Act, U.S.C. 552. A better description is needed to enable retrieval of the records with a reasonable amount of effort. The Act does not require an agency to create new records, answer questions posed by requesters, research a variety of non-specific subjects, or attempt to interpret a request that does not identify specific records. Thus, your request as constituted is considered over broad and over burdensome.

In the end, the DEA was right on this one. I had not requested specific records that were known to exist. On the other hand, if I had specifically tried to get all of the E-mails from the local DEA offices in Denver that were sent in the last two months, the request would have been different. If I had filed it like that, I probably still wouldn’t be seeing those E-mails  knowing the DEA’s FOIA reputation, but at least it would have been a valid request under the intent of FOIA. The first step to making a successful FOIA is to to be as specific as possible when requesting records, and to make sure that you are requesting records that already exist.

The Research

So, then how in the hell can somebody write a FOIA looking for documents if they don’t know exactly what they’re looking for? That’s where research comes in. A lot of times you may even be surprised how many records are available on-line without a FOIA.

Try checking out the official Web site of the agency you’re requesting data from, a lot of times they’ll have a variety of documents that can help you in ascertaining where desired records might be. These documents include congressional testimonies by agency officials, annual or quarterly agency reports that are routinely published on-line, “FOIA Electronic Reading Rooms,” which usually feature the most popular records that are requested under FOIA (if what you’re looking for is there, there’s no need to go through the hassle of filing a request!), and certain agency databases that are available online.

You may even try talking to the designated agency FOIA officers, whose contact information is listed on government Web sites. Often times they don’t have a problem trying to assist you in locating certain records. If you’re a journalist, you may also have sources within an agency who can point you in the right direction.

The Writing

You don’t have to write a request from scratch thanks to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press FOIA generator, which will create a spiffy looking doc for you based on numerous variables that you can customize and fill in.

Just make sure to double check the contact information the generator may give for a specific agency, as addresses are subject to change and you don’t want to send the FOIA to the wrong place. Many agencies already have directories of FOIA contact information, as is the case with the Justice Department.

The Mailing

The best and safest way to submit a FOIA request is by certified mail. While some agencies allow requesters to file FOIAs through E-mail or fax, doing so exposes your search to painful hurdles if your E-mail happens to get sucked into cyber space or the fax is lost.

With certified mail, you have proof that the request was sent on a receipt. Make sure you hold on to the receipt too, just in case.

The Waiting

So now that the FOIA is written and sent, the only thing left to do at this point is to wait. Agencies have 20 business days to grant or deny the request once they receive it, although the deadline can be extended under specific circumstances.

Congratulations! You’ve written your first FOIA request!

To kick off the grand opening of this little blog, I’ve decided to conduct an extreme experiment.

During his month—the 30 days in June—I will be sending a FOIA request every day to 30 separate government agencies. On days when post offices are not open I will send that day’s FOIA the next day. Then, I’ll be dicussing these FOIAs on this blog, including how they are written, how I did the research to target certain records, and the subsequent responses.

Already, two FOIAs have been sent. I’ll be writing about them soon.