Maple Grove Police Offer Online Records Requests
Police in Maple Grove want it to be easier for members of the public to access records and information normally available through lengthy Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
Now, using JustFOIA, the city has available records within reach.
“Everything’s done online. They submit their request online. We can track it online. If there are redactions, we can do redactions as needed online. They can access it numerous times if they need to, like if they forget they printed it off, it’s right there for them,” said Theresa Keehn, administrative support manager for Maple Grove Police Department. “It’s easy to track.”
It also helps the department, Keehn said. She said there were nearly 5,000 data requests to the department last year.
“This kind of narrows it down, gives us a timeline,” she said. “(The program) will give you an email saying: ‘Hey, you’re getting to the end of that timeline. You may want to get this out to the requester.'”
It pairs nicely with the online crime reporting feature the department debuted in 2024.
The Maple Grove Police Department offers a tablet in its lobby where residents can report crimes online.
“They’re usually something that’s not going to be investigated, whether it’s lost or found property, internet scams, things like that,” said Keehn. “On our website, there’s a list of things you can report. And anybody can do it from their cell phone. We have an iPad in the lobby you can access if you want to. It’s just easier. Everything is electronic, and it’s just much easier to access for the public.”
