So you submitted your public records request, now what? Now it’s time to stay on top of the agency’s response (or lack thereof). No two records requests are alike, and neither are the agency’s responses. Timeframes can vary from agency to agency while some will respond promptly, others may not provide any response. In some instances, you may get an acknowledgement or records from other agencies or departments you didn’t direct your record request to.
Be sure to document all your interactions with the agency, even if they don’t respond or get back to you. After the initial response window, you can ask about the status of your request. This information will be of service if later you decide to submit an appeal or file a lawsuit.
As mentioned earlier, if you use a service, it will help you with the follow-up and tracking the progress of your record request.