TexasCHLforum.com

You don't have to request a specific document such as 'Agency Policy number abc123 - leave of absence request', but it needs to request specific enough information that a given document does or does not meet the request criteria. Think Google search...

E.Marquez wrote:

Bob in Big D wrote:Maybe all you need is ....how many guns taken from CHL's were found to be stolen when run thu NCIC, regardless of how they were acquired by DPS.

Right,, but if it a document request that must be made, and not a data request.. I would have to request a specific document that would have that data.... What single document is that....???

No you can ask for documents containing 'the number of Chi holders that ........' or similar. You can't ask for 'how many chl holders were arrested in July 2011 for unlicensed carry of a weapon'. Actually you can ask, but if no document contains that data you won't get a return. It has to be specific enough that there is likely hood a document has what or part of what you want, but general enough that a hit is likely but you will have to do some analysis across multiple documents.

I use to work for an un-named state agency and did some research into requests that came in. What you want to ask for is 'documents containing information regarding the number of CHL holders stopped, the number of handguns seized from a CHL holder, the number of ....... and / or the number of........'. You can then use these to do your own analysis and produce the statistics. You may get lucky (might as well include it in your request) and ask for documents containing the desired statistics. I can tell you we did our best to get what was requested, but didn't guess on intent or what they might have really wanted, just what they asked for! Good luck!

A couple of things, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is federal. State requests fall under the Open Records Act. Regardless, if it looks and smells like an ORA request, the agency must honor the request. You are requesting documents and not research. They don't have to compile statistics for you. If it is not in the documents you requested, you won't get it. Be specific in the documents you request or they won't be found. Also, you do not have to justify why you want the documents and they can't ask. None of their business. Tell them it is an Open Records Request and you want copies of the documents listed or documents containing <content description> or similar.