The agency's own records, obtained and organized.

Records before litigation

Every state has a public records law, and the federal Freedom of Information Act covers federal agencies. These laws allow records to be requested without filing suit. For an attorney deciding whether to take a case, or preparing a complaint, records obtained early can show what happened, who was involved, and what the agency already knew.

What can be requested

Depending on the state, available records can include incident and arrest reports, use-of-force reports, computer-aided dispatch logs, 911 recordings, body camera footage, booking and jail logs, medical screening forms, policy manuals, training records, and records of prior complaints and discipline. What is public varies considerably from state to state, particularly for personnel and internal affairs records.

Requests that get answered

A request that is too broad is delayed or denied, and one that is too narrow misses what matters. Effective requests name the specific records, cite the governing statute, and are followed up when deadlines pass. When an agency withholds records, the denial itself and the exemption claimed are documented for the attorney.

Organized for use

Records arrive in no particular order. They are indexed, compared with one another, and checked against witness accounts and video, so that inconsistencies between the report and the evidence are identified and brought to the attorney's attention.