Great Lakes Wire

FOIA Request to Eaton County Sheriff's Office regarding 2023 arrest records on September 24, 2025.

The Great Lakes Wire, a media organization dedicated to delivering comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Eaton County Sheriff's Office. The request, dated September 24, 2025, seeks access to all arrest records from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023.

The requested data includes various details about each arrestee: name, sex, race, age, date of birth (DOB), citizenship status, booking ID, date of arrest, and booking photo. Additionally, the request seeks information about the arresting officers' names and details concerning the crime such as type, location, and date.

As members of the media involved in gathering and reporting news to the public, we emphasize that access to these public records is crucial for fulfilling our professional responsibilities. These responsibilities include holding public institutions accountable and ensuring transparency for the public. Given our role in disseminating information as media professionals, we have also requested a fee waiver.

The requester is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy—a non-profit organization that assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating state and federal governmental agencies through Freedom of Information and Sunshine Laws. More information about this coalition can be found at https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.

We look forward to receiving this information in an electronic format as it will greatly aid in our reporting efforts. As always, we remain open for any questions or clarifications regarding this request.