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: Jones County Sheriff’s Office
Records that were requested: The arrest report for Joshua Preston Davis
When do you first hear back from the agency? I sent the request on Oct. 2, 2024 at 9:44 a.m. and the Open Records Report person responded the same day at 9:46 a.m.
Did the agency request a fee? No, the agency did not request a fee.
Describe the response: The response was a pdf file that included a full arrest and booking report. This had an image of the inmate, what date they were booked, their physical stature, the inmate’s charge and the bond price.
Assign a grade for contact/process: I would give an A for the contact/process. The Jones County sheriff’s office website includes a tab for open records request and once you click on it it gives their open records request person and an email. After contacting the open records request person through email I received a response in two minutes of sending.
Assign a grade for response: I would give an A for the response. My response included a full booking and arrest report, which is what I contacted them for.
Grading scale for the ease of contacting agency staff and finding or filing for public records.
A: Agency uses an online portal or has a clearly defined process or contact on its website for requesting public records. An “A” agency may also readily provide the most commonly requested records on its website, including agendas and meeting minutes.
B: Agency has some public information online such as meeting agendas or meeting times, but additional information on how to request public information is not available. There is contact information available for staff.
C: Agency website has contact information for staff but nothing specific about how to request public information.
D: Agency has limited contact information on its website but it is not clearly labeled and/or easily accessible.
F: Agency contact information or how to get public records is not available on the website.
Grade scale for agency’s overall responsiveness and compliance with open records law
A: Provided records within the three-day window or less.
B Acknowledgedf the request within the three-day requirement, but records were provided after three days.
C: Acknowledged the request but then put forth a long timetable for response or requested a high fee or retrieval price for what should be a digital record and/or PDF that could be emailed.
D: Acknowledged the request but no further information or follow-up.
F: No response.
