How to Request Public Records

Before you submit

Ask for existing records—not answers to questions, legal conclusions, research, or a new report. A focused request is usually easier to search and process.

Arkansas Attorney General guidance says a request should be specific enough for the custodian to locate records with reasonable effort. Written requests are advisable because they preserve a record of what was asked and when.

City of Bentonville records

1. Identify the department. Examples include Purchasing, Finance, Planning, Parks and Recreation, Information Technology, the City Clerk, or Legal.
2. Prepare a specific written request. Include dates, record types, subjects, and preferred format. Use the template below if helpful.
3. Confirm the current submission method. The City does not presently publish a clearly identifiable, citywide FOIA portal in the official sources reviewed for this guide. Contact the City to confirm the correct records custodian and current submission method.
4. Keep a copy. Save the request, delivery confirmation, clarification messages, fee estimates, and response.

Possible city records include contracts, purchasing files, City Council records, policies, emails, budgets, invoices, maps, permits, planning documents, and technology or surveillance-system records.

Bentonville Police Department records

1. Describe the police records. Include incident numbers when known, dates, units, policies, vendors, systems, or report types.
2. Separate routine reports from broader FOIA requests. Ask the Police Department which procedure applies to your request.
3. Confirm the current submission method. No dedicated public FOIA portal or records-request email was verified in the official Police Department pages reviewed for this guide.
4. Contact or deliver the request. Confirm with the department before sending sensitive material.

Police records may include incident or offense reports, policies, contracts, invoices, camera policies, audit logs, system reports, retention schedules, training material, and statistics.

Copy-and-paste request template

Flock-camera request examples

You can adapt one or more of these categories and add a defined date range:

• Flock Safety contracts, amendments, invoices, purchase orders, and procurement records.
• Camera-location lists and deployment records, subject to lawful exemptions.
• Data-retention and deletion policies.
• User-access and audit logs for a defined period.
• Agreements for sharing data with other agencies.
• Hot-list policies and supporting documentation.
• Training materials and written directives.
• Accuracy, performance, and usage reports.
• Communications between the City, Police Department, and Flock Safety.
• Policies governing searches, alerts, access, supervision, and oversight.

What happens next

The custodian may fulfill the request, ask for clarification, provide a fee estimate, identify exempt material, or explain that another office keeps the records. Arkansas Attorney General guidance says records are generally available immediately unless they are in active use or storage; those records generally must be made available within three working days. Other record categories and circumstances can follow different rules, so do not treat that as a universal deadline.

Copy charges generally may not exceed actual reproduction costs, plus applicable mailing or transmission expenses. The custodian may require advance payment when estimated copy fees exceed $25. Inspection can sometimes avoid copying charges. Ask for an itemized estimate and narrow the dates or categories if a request is costly or burdensome.

Agencies may redact exempt information while releasing reasonably segregable non-exempt portions. Keep your original request and every response.

If a request is denied

• Ask for the decision and its legal basis in writing.
• Ask whether non-exempt portions can be released.
• Clarify or narrow the request.
• Consult the Arkansas Attorney General’s current FOIA resources and handbook.
• Consider qualified legal advice when the issue matters enough to pursue.

This site cannot assess a particular denial or provide individualized legal advice.