FOIA Request to Hancock County Sheriff’s Office regarding 2023 arrest records on September 24, 2025.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office by Mountain State Times, a media organization focused on local governmental affairs. The request seeks access to all arrest records from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. The information requested includes detailed data points such as the arrestee’s name, sex, race, age, date of birth, and citizenship status. Additionally, the request asks for booking IDs, dates of arrest, booking photos, names of arresting officers, types of crimes committed, locations and dates of these crimes.
The FOIA request is made under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act (§29-B-1-1 et seq.) with a preference for receiving the information in electronic format. As part of their professional duties in news gathering and reporting, Mountain State Times emphasizes the importance of public record access for maintaining transparency and accountability within public institutions. They have also requested a fee waiver citing their role as a media entity.
Mountain State Times is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy—a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA requests. More information about this coalition can be found on their website: https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.
Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.
