The data is available by FOIA.

try_the_bass · 2025-12-12T19:57:18 1765569438

Is it? I thought only searches of the database were available that way? Like, the history of queries, not the raw data.

I don't think FOIA requests can be used to run your own searches of these databases.

rationalist · 2025-12-12T20:03:06 1765569786

Submit a FOIA for a specific area and time, and you can get all of the raw data for that, then you can do your own searches. You generally cannot submit a FOIA for all of the data.

try_the_bass · 2025-12-12T21:10:43 1765573843

I don't think this is true. Do you have some sources for this?

iamnothere · 2025-12-13T04:41:20 1765600880

In Washington it is true: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/11/washington-court-rules...

try_the_bass · 2025-12-13T09:50:58 1765619458

Neat, thanks for the source!

reaperducer · 2025-12-12T21:27:53 1765574873

Journalists do this all the time. We used to get big 9-track reels of data where I worked.

try_the_bass · 2025-12-12T23:48:23 1765583303

The reason I'm skeptical of this, in this particular case, is because the data here isn't actually owned by the police/government (I think?), it's owned by Flock. A department can search the data for given attributes, but I don't think they have the whole data set to provide as a response to a FOIA request in the first place.

thunderfork · 2025-12-13T15:32:15 1765639935

I don't have a source on hand but I do remember seeing a recent case on this stuff that indicated that "even if they're paying Flock to store it, it's still the government's data"