Records belong in public view
Open records give residents a direct way to understand decisions, spending, policies, technology, and oversight.
Our philosophy begins with transparency. Public officials are entrusted with significant authority, public money, and decisions that affect everyday life. The Freedom of Information Act helps citizens see how that trust is exercised.
Documents need explanation
A data dump is not the same as understanding. Thousands of pages, emails, tables, and attachments can obscure what matters.
Claims should trace to sources
Our goal is to connect plain-language findings to the records behind them so readers can review the evidence themselves.
Why we use AI-assisted review
Sorting large public-record productions by hand can take weeks or months. We use multiple AI agents to help organize files, detect potentially important details, compare documents, and cross-reference names, dates, policies, contracts, payments, and communications gathered through Freedom of Information Act requests.
Sort and structureGroup files, identify formats, extract searchable information, and build timelines.
Detect and compareSurface repeated terms, discrepancies, relationships, and details that warrant closer attention.
Cross-referenceConnect claims across contracts, correspondence, invoices, policies, logs, and other records.
AI assists the review; it is not the source. Automated systems can misunderstand context or make mistakes. Published findings should remain grounded in the underlying records, and readers are encouraged to inspect those records and reach their own conclusions.
Transparency is for everyone
This work is independent and citizen-funded. It is not operated by the City of Bentonville, the Bentonville Police Department, Flock Safety, a political party, or a campaign. The purpose is not to predetermine a conclusion—it is to make public information easier to examine.
As records from nearby communities become available, this project may expand beyond Bentonville while keeping the same evidence-first approach.
Free today. Free tomorrow.
Bentonville Flock Files is 100% free and will always be 100% free. There is no subscription, paywall, or member-only access. The hosting and operating costs are covered by a citizen willing to pay the bills so that public records stay accessible and truth has the opportunity to prevail.