NYPD Records Chief Reveals the Secret to FOIL Success: Being Nice, But Is It Enough?
In a surprising twist, former NYPD records chief Sgt. Jordan Mazur has released a self-published guide called "FOIL Made Simple," which reveals his secrets for obtaining public records from government agencies like the NYPD. According to Mazur, the key to success lies not in understanding the law itself, but rather in being nice and building relationships with those who process requests.
Mazur's book urges patience, precision, and personal connections as essential tools for navigating the complex world of FOIL requests. And his number one tip? Being polite. "It's easier to work with people when they're not just a number," he said. "You understand each other."
However, some transparency advocates have expressed skepticism about Mazur's advice. Bobby Hodgson, assistant legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, pointed out that while being nice may go a long way in getting a response from the NYPD, it is ultimately up to the agency itself to provide records in a timely and transparent manner.
The NYPD has indeed been criticized for its slow response times and tendency to withhold records. In 2024 alone, the department received over 37,000 FOIL requests, with some requests taking more than four years to resolve. The city comptroller's office found that the NYPD failed to respond to body-worn camera footage requests in 25% of cases within 25 business days.
While Mazur acknowledges that his department's records unit has been overwhelmed and understaffed, he downplays any suggestions that a willful decision to withhold records is at play. Instead, he argues that the issue lies in the bureaucratic challenges faced by agencies like the NYPD.
Despite these caveats, some advocates remain unconvinced that being nice is enough to overcome systemic barriers to access. As Hodgson noted, "It's not necessarily the case that people are able to access the folks who are responding to their FOILs in a timely way." The NYCLU has its own FOIL toolkit to help navigate these challenges.
As the debate continues, Mazur's guide serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency and accountability in government agencies like the NYPD. While being polite may be an essential tool in the FOIL process, it is ultimately up to agencies themselves to prioritize access and provide records in a timely and transparent manner.
In a surprising twist, former NYPD records chief Sgt. Jordan Mazur has released a self-published guide called "FOIL Made Simple," which reveals his secrets for obtaining public records from government agencies like the NYPD. According to Mazur, the key to success lies not in understanding the law itself, but rather in being nice and building relationships with those who process requests.
Mazur's book urges patience, precision, and personal connections as essential tools for navigating the complex world of FOIL requests. And his number one tip? Being polite. "It's easier to work with people when they're not just a number," he said. "You understand each other."
However, some transparency advocates have expressed skepticism about Mazur's advice. Bobby Hodgson, assistant legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, pointed out that while being nice may go a long way in getting a response from the NYPD, it is ultimately up to the agency itself to provide records in a timely and transparent manner.
The NYPD has indeed been criticized for its slow response times and tendency to withhold records. In 2024 alone, the department received over 37,000 FOIL requests, with some requests taking more than four years to resolve. The city comptroller's office found that the NYPD failed to respond to body-worn camera footage requests in 25% of cases within 25 business days.
While Mazur acknowledges that his department's records unit has been overwhelmed and understaffed, he downplays any suggestions that a willful decision to withhold records is at play. Instead, he argues that the issue lies in the bureaucratic challenges faced by agencies like the NYPD.
Despite these caveats, some advocates remain unconvinced that being nice is enough to overcome systemic barriers to access. As Hodgson noted, "It's not necessarily the case that people are able to access the folks who are responding to their FOILs in a timely way." The NYCLU has its own FOIL toolkit to help navigate these challenges.
As the debate continues, Mazur's guide serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency and accountability in government agencies like the NYPD. While being polite may be an essential tool in the FOIL process, it is ultimately up to agencies themselves to prioritize access and provide records in a timely and transparent manner.
... dont get me wrong, transparency & accountability r key but being nice can actually go a looong way 
... i mean, think about it, if u r polite & show u care, agencies might be more willing 2 work wit u 
... plus, its not like Sgt Mazur's saying people r malicious or anything 
... its all bout building relationships & finding ways 2 navigate bureaucratic red tape 
... and lets b real, sometimes being nice can actually help change ppl's attitudes 
. Sgt. Mazur releases his guide, and suddenly being "nice" is the key to getting what you want? It sounds like they're trying to spin this as a way to make us think we can just butter up the good guys and get away with stuff 
. I mean, come on, 37,000 FOIL requests in 2024 taking more than four years to resolve? That's not "overwhelmed" or "understaffed", that's systemic corruption 
. And what about all those requests that fall through the cracks? You can't just ignore that and say it's because people are being too polite 
. It's time for some real transparency, not just a nice smile 
.
I'm kinda surprised that Sgt Mazur thinks being nice is the key to getting public records from the NYPD. I mean, yeah, building relationships and all that's great, but what about when you're dealing with bureaucratic red tape? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for being polite and professional, but I don't think that's enough to overcome systemic issues like slow response times and record withholding.
It's like trying to negotiate a salary raise by being best buds with your boss. Newsflash, Sgt. Mazur: being nice ain't gonna cut it when there are millions of dollars in potential surveillance footage just sitting around collecting dust. 
Maybe Mazur should've spent more time figuring out how to fix the problem instead of writing a self-published guide on being friendly with the records people. 