FOIA Request to Shelby County Sheriff’s Department regarding 2023 arrest records on September 24, 2025.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department by Hoosier State Today, a media organization focused on local governmental affairs. The request seeks access to all arrest records from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. The requested data includes various details such as the arrestee’s name, sex, race, age, date of birth, and citizenship status. Additionally, information about the booking ID, date of arrest, booking photo, names of arresting officers, type of crime committed, location of the crime, and date of the crime is also sought.
The request was made under the Indiana Access to Public Records Act § 5-14-3-1 et seq., with a preference for receiving the information in electronic format. As part of their professional duties in gathering and reporting news to the public, Hoosier State Today emphasized the importance of accessing public records for transparency and accountability purposes. The organization has also requested a fee waiver due to its role as a media entity.
Hoosier State Today is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy—a non-profit corporation that aids media companies and advocacy groups in investigating government agencies through FOIA requests. More information about this coalition can be found on their website: https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.
Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.
