Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Rights and Responsibilities

How to request records from the Department

  • When requesting records from the Department, NextRequest is the preferred and most efficient way to make that request for information.
  • Your request must identify the records you are seeking with “reasonable specificity.” This is a common-sense standard. It does not refer to or limit the volume or number of records that you are requesting; instead, it requires that you be specific enough so that we can identify and locate the records that you are seeking.
  • Your request must ask for existing records or documents. FOIA gives you a right to inspect or copy records; it does not apply to a situation where you are asking general questions about the work of the Department, nor does it require the Department to create a record that does not exist.
  • You may choose to receive electronic records in any format used by the Department in the regular course of business.
    • For example, if you are requesting records maintained in an Excel database, you may elect to receive those records electronically, via email or on a computer disk, or to receive a printed copy of those records
  • If we have questions about your request, please cooperate with staff’s efforts to clarify the type of records that you are seeking, or to attempt to reach a reasonable agreement about a response to a large request. Making a FOIA request is not an adversarial process, but we may need to discuss your request with you to ensure that we understand what records you are seeking.
  • You may request records from the Department by U.S. mail, fax, email, in person, or over the phone. From a practical perspective, it may be helpful to both you and the person receiving your request to put your request in writing. This allows you to create a record of your request.

Make a FOIA request online

The NextRequest online portal will help you communicate with the Virginia State Police about what documents you need.

Note: FOIA requests for Accident/Crash Reports must be submitted to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

MAKE A FOIA REQUEST ONLINE
CLICK HERE

Your FOIA Rights

  • You have the right to request to inspect or receive copies of public records, or both.
  • You have the right to request that any charges for the requested records be estimated in advance.
  • If you believe that your FOIA rights have been violated, you may file a petition in district or circuit court to compel compliance with FOIA.

Our Responsibilities in Responding to Your Request

  • The Department must respond to your request within five working days of receiving it. “Day One” is considered the day after your request is received. The five-day period does not include weekends or holidays.
  • The reason behind your request for public records is irrelevant, and the Department cannot ask you why you want the records before responding to your request. FOIA does, however, allow the Department to ask you to provide your name and legal address.
  • FOIA requires that the Department make one of the following responses to your request within the five-day time period:
    1. Provide you with the records that you have requested in their entirety.
    2. Withhold all of the records that you have requested, because all of the records are subject to a specific statutory exemption. If all of the records are being withheld, the Department must send you a response in writing. That response must identify the volume and subject matter of the records being withheld, and state the specific section of the Code of Virginia or other law that allows or requires the withholding of the records.
    3. Provide some of the records that you have requested, but withhold other records. The Department cannot withhold an entire record if only a portion of it is subject to an exemption. In that instance, the Department may redact the portion of the record that may be withheld, and must provide you with the remainder of the record. The Department must provide you with a written response stating the specific section of the Code of Virginia or other law that allows or requires portions of the requested records to be withheld.
    4. If it is practically impossible for the Department to respond to your request within the five-day period, the Department must state this in writing, explaining the conditions that make the response impossible. This provision will allow the Department seven additional working days to respond to your request, giving the Department a total of 12 working days to respond to your request.
    5. Upon receiving a FOIA request, and prior to conducting a search for records, the Department will notify the requester that they are entitled to a cost estimate in advance. In order to maintain the efficiency of the FOIA process, you are asked to respond immediately if you require an estimate.
  • If you make a request for a very large number of records, and the Department feels that it cannot provide the records to you within 12 days without disrupting other organizational responsibilities, the Department may petition the court for additional time to respond to your request. However, FOIA requires that the Department make a reasonable effort to reach an agreement with you concerning the production of the records before it goes to court to ask for more time.

Costs

  • A public body may make reasonable charges not to exceed its actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for the requested records and shall make all reasonable efforts to supply the requested records at the lowest possible cost. No public body shall impose any extraneous, intermediary, or surplus fees or expenses to recoup the general costs associated with creating or maintaining records or transacting the general business of the public body. Any duplicating fee charged by a public body shall not exceed the actual cost of duplication. Prior to conducting a search for records, the public body shall notify the requester in writing that the public body may make reasonable charges not to exceed its actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for requested records and inquire of the requester whether he would like to request a cost estimate in advance of the supplying of the requested records as set forth in subsection F of § 2.2-3704 of the Code of Virginia.
  • If the Department estimates that it will cost more than $200 to respond to your request, we may require you to pay a deposit before proceeding with your request.
  • NOTE: As stated above, you may request that the Department estimate in advance the charges for supplying the records that you have requested. This estimate will make you aware of any upfront costs, or give you the opportunity to modify your request in an attempt to lower the estimated costs.

FOIA Request Contact

If you are not using the online request tool, please use the following contact information to submit your request.

FOIA Officer: First Sergeant William K. Shipman
Phone: (804) 674-2642
FOIA Manager:  Kirsten Nelson
Phone: (804) 674-8028
Fax: (804) 968-0322

Common Exemptions to FOIA Requests

The Code of Virginia allows any public body to withhold certain records from public disclosure. The Department commonly withholds records subject to the following exemptions:

  • Requests by persons incarcerated in a state, local, or federal correctional facility (§ 2.2-3703(C)).
  • Personnel records (§ 2.2-3705.1 (1) ).
  • Records subject to attorney-client privilege (§ 2.2-3705.1 (2)) or attorney work product (§ 2.2-3705.1 (3)).
  • Tests or examinations used, administered, or prepared for purposes of evaluation of any employee or employment seeker’s qualifications or aptitude for employment, retention, or promotion, or qualifications for any license or certificate (§ 2.2-3705.1 (4)).
  • Vendor proprietary information (§ 2.2-3705.1 (6)).
  • Records relating to the negotiation and award of a contract, prior to a contract being awarded (§ 2.2-3705.1 (12)).
  • Plans and information to prevent or respond to terrorist activity, the disclosure of which would jeopardize the safety of any person (§ 2.2-3705.2 (14)).

The following frequently requested records are governed by the following statutes:

  • Active criminal investigations are governed by the restrictions set forth under § 52-8.3.
  • Criminal history records are governed by the restrictions set forth under § 19.2-389.
  • Accident reports and information regarding accidents are governed by § 46.2-379 and § 46.2-380. An accident report (FR300) may be obtained through the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
  • Sex Offender Registry information is governed by § 9.1-900 et seq.
  • Criminal intelligence files, Title 28 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 23. 

NOTE: The Federal Freedom of Information Act only applies to federal agencies and not to the Department or other state agencies.

Additional Resource for Questions

The Freedom of Information Advisory Council is available to answer any questions you may have about FOIA. The Council may be contacted by email at foiacouncil@dls.virginia.gov, or by phone at (804) 698-1810 or (866) 448-4100.