Fast and Furious Investigations

BOATING ACCIDENTS
Boating accidents on Lake Winnipesaukee
• Most likely to have an accident
at the end of the weekend
• It’s most likely your fault
• More accidents happen in
shallow water
• Rough waters are safer
Intimidated by data?
WILDLIFE
STRIKES
DATA BREACHES

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

www.privacyrights.org
PUBLIC
HOUSING
ATTORNEY
GENERALS’
OFFICES
Oodles of story ideas from the AG’s office
• Consumer-related issues
• Nonprofit organizations
• Bingo and other charitable gaming
• Debt collector for public universities/hospitals
• Health-care fraud
• Environmental enforcement
• State crime lab
HATE CRIMES
HEALTH-CARE DESERTS
KOMU 8 News mapped out all of the
hospitals and ambulance bases in
mid-Missouri and found that:
• Nine counties in its viewing area do
not have a hospital.
• Numerous cities and towns are at
least 25 minutes away from the
closest hospital.
• Even though ambulances can
legally drive faster than the speed
limit, on many of the roads in rural
Missouri, that's not possible.
NURSING HOMES
• Nursing home inspection reports
to identify cases of abuse or
neglect
• Medicaid/Medicare
reimbursement reports to
examine staffing and other
financial information
• State requests for penalties,
complaints and enforcement
actions
NURSING HOME
COMPARE
PARKING TICKETS
AIR TRAVEL CONSUMER COMPLAINTS
 Be your own story
pipeline

•Make a list of needs – data

and documents
•Spend at least 20 minutes a
week filing records requests.
•Document everything.
•Build a spreadsheet to document
your records requests and each
time you follow-up.
•Know your state open records
laws
The Dirty List

•Budget and contracts

•Accidents and incident reports
•Consultant studies and audits
•Expense reports, travel receipts
and purchasing card charges
•Get their emails on key topics
•Is there a process or program in
place – ask for the numbers

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

 Any Rules?

•Ask to see the policy manual –

Does the policy differ from
reality?
Immigration
Data
Death Statistics
Consumer
Complaints
Data
Public Safety
Traveling
Expense
Reports
Follow the Money
 Federal
Aviation
Administration
Health Data

• County and State Health Departments

• Studies on the subject
• Experts
• CDC
• Groups that focus on specific subjects, i.e.
International Leptospirosis Society
Local and state public records requests
- Termination letters
- Purchase orders
- Missing city/state-owned
property
- Unclaimed check registers
 A Day 21 folo

Think investigative,
even on day-turns