A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department regarding arrest records on October 22, 2024. As part of our ongoing commitment to provide comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, we at NC Wisconsin News have made this request under the Wisconsin Open Records Law, §19.31 et seq.
Our request includes all arrest records from January 1, 2024, to the present day. We are specifically interested in several data points if available. These include the arrestee’s name, sex, race, age, date of birth (DOB), citizenship status, booking ID, date of arrest and booking photo. We also requested information about the arresting officer(s), type of crime committed, location of the crime and date of the crime.
As a media organization involved in gathering and reporting news to the public, access to public records is essential for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities. This includes holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. Given our role in disseminating information, we believe we are eligible for a fee waiver as a media professional.
We will continue to update our readers as more information becomes available from these records.
