Freedom of Information Act / Research Tools

Granted FOIA Fee Waivers, FBI, 2015-2016

Background In December of 2016, I requested all granted FOIA fee waivers for requests sent in to the FBI, for…

November 24, 2020

ISOO Notice 2019-01: Agencies Eligible to Receive Referrals from Automatic Declassification at 25, 50, and 75 Years

Background The following agencies have received approval from the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP) to exempt specific information from…

July 16, 2020

FBI’s Public Access Line (PAL) Procedures, September 21, 2011 Edition

Background The following is the FBI's Public Access Line (PAL) Procedures, September 21, 2011 Edition, as released by the FBI…

July 15, 2020

Significant FOIA Requests – Department Level Interest Lists

Background Department of Defense FOIA offices are prohibited from responding to “significant” FOIA requests having “departmental level interest” without approval…

February 11, 2020

2017 FOIA Training Presentation by Jennifer Black at the IRS

Background I learned that in 2017, there was a presentation about the FOIA, for training purposes, that was given by…

May 7, 2019

The FBI’s FOIA Processing Manual – aka “The Green Book”

Background “The Green Book” is a set of guidelines for agency officials in charge of responding to FOIA requests, specifically…

October 1, 2018

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Records Management User Manual, May 2015

Background This document was requested in August of 2017 by The Black Vault. It was then released on January 18,…

January 28, 2018

FBI Classification Guidebooks

Background In November of 2017, I requested the FBI's "Classification Guidebook".  This consists of the, "FBI National Security Information Classification…

January 18, 2018

National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Review and Redaction Guide for Automatic Declassification of 25-Year Old Information, 2015 Edition

Background This document represents the current policy of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) for the declassification of all 25-year-old and older…

August 25, 2017

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) FOIA Training Material, Released April of 2017

Background According to their website, the mission statement of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is: "Enforcing the controlled substances laws…

August 20, 2017