Kalamazoo, Michigan
You are not
powerless.
Michigan law gives you the right to every public record in this city, at no cost. When agencies ignore that law, we don't wait. We take them to court, funded by the people they answer to. You.
The law is already on your side.
Under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act, every public agency must respond to records requests within 5 business days. Electronic records cost $0. If they miss the deadline, they lose the right to withhold anything. And if they refuse entirely? The law allows you to sue and win.
How it works
Request. Track. Enforce.
We request
Formal FOIA requests go out on schedule to five public agencies. We only ask for what the law says is yours.
We track
Every request is logged publicly. Date sent. Legal deadline. Whether they responded or went silent.
We publish
When data comes back, it goes live here. Downloadable and open. The people's records, returned to the people.
We enforce
When agencies ignore the law, we file suit in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court, funded by the community. No one gets to hide.
Community-funded accountability
They can ignore
one person.
Not a whole city.
When an agency refuses to comply with the law, the people of Kalamazoo fund the lawsuit together. Under Michigan FOIA, if the court finds the agency acted unlawfully, they pay your legal fees, plus up to $7,500 in penalties for a pattern of non-compliance.
The agency bets on you giving up. This site makes sure you never have to fight alone.
Your rights under Michigan law
What they don't want you to know
You have the right to every public record.
No reason required. No justification. No application. You ask, they produce. It's that simple.
They have 5 business days. Period.
One extension of 10 days is allowed, but only in writing. After that, the clock has run out.
Electronic records cost you nothing.
If records exist in a database and can be emailed without redaction, the law says the cost is $0.
Miss the deadline? They lose all exemptions.
If an agency fails to respond in time, they cannot claim any exemption. Everything you asked for must be released.
You can sue. And they pay when you win.
Circuit Court can order the records released, award your attorney fees, and impose up to $7,500 in penalties for a pattern of violations.
Penalties hit repeat offenders hardest.
$1,000 for a single willful violation. $7,500 for a pattern. The law is designed to punish agencies that make ignoring you a habit.
“If a public body does not respond to a written request in a timely manner, the requesting person may commence an action in circuit court to compel disclosure.”
MCL 15.240(1)
Michigan Freedom of Information Act
Under the microscope
Five agencies. Zero exceptions.
Every request we file is tracked publicly. Every deadline is logged. Every response, or lack of one, is recorded. These agencies work for you. This is how we hold them to it.
Kalamazoo Dept. of Public Safety
Crime incidents, use of force, internal affairs, officer complaints, pursuit data
Monthly
First request pending
Kalamazoo County Prosecutor
Charging decisions, case outcomes, declination rates, plea patterns
Quarterly
First request pending
County Jail and Sheriff
Inmate records, deaths in custody, force incidents, jail inspections
Monthly
First request pending
Friend of the Court
Enforcement statistics, caseload numbers, support collection rates
Quarterly
First request pending
Code Enforcement
Violations, building inspections, condemned properties, landlord records
Monthly
First request pending
Stand with your city.
Demand accountability.
One person can be ignored. A community can't. When enough people stand behind a single FOIA enforcement action, no agency in Kalamazoo can afford to stay silent.
Photography by Pexels contributors