Earlier this month, students in Mercer University’s Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism sent open records requests to agencies in Macon-Bibb, Houston, Jones and Monroe counties in an effort to check their compliance with Georgia’s law and gauge their accessibility to members of the public. You can see a list of all the grades here.
Agency: Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
Records Requested: I requested an incident report, or any related records, concerning a September 2024 death at Vanhuss Poultry in Smarr.
When did you first hear back from the agency? I filed the request on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, at 12:03 p.m. I received a response from the agency on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, at 12:10 p.m.
Did the agency request a fee? Yes, the agency requested a fee after I submitted the original request. They provided a copy of the Open Records cost worksheet, outlining the costs for preparing, redacting, and the number of pages, as well as fees for audio, video, photographs, and digital photos. The total for all materials would have been $52.36, plus postage.
Describe the response: The response was exceptionally timely as they replied within seven minutes, even including a cost worksheet prepared by Phil Albert for additional materials if I wanted them. Their office did an outstanding job responding to my request.
Grade for contact/process: A The agency uses an online portal on their website for requesting public records, which made the process straightforward. The portal also offered options to explain the purpose of the request. They quickly provided the requested records and sent a billing worksheet for any additional records I might need, complete with prices.
Grade for response: A The response was clear and concise. I understood everything they sent, and their communication was respectful and to the point.
