A few days ago I was asked to write a diary on the process of requesting and reviewing data for Kansas and Missouri in light of the DailyKos effort for the MBOPRA. In an effort to understand a lot of what we are looking and how to best make impact, you are looking to understand some basic information:
* Who gets arrested?
* How many arrests lead to successful conviction?
* Racial Makeup of arrests.
* Racial Makeup of convictions.
* Ticketing and non-arrest citations issued in communities.
These variables are important in determining how a state and community assess the performance of their police officers and state troopers, as well as the pattern and success of prosecution within communities and counties. So, how do you get there, and is FOIA the way to go?