During a presentation last Thursday at the American Society for Access Professionals, the Office of Government Information Services announced that it was planning to assess the FOIA operations of six components of the Department of Homeland Security: the Transportation Security Administration; Customs and Border Protection; Secret Service; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Federal Emergency Management Agency; and the Coast Guard.
Representatives from OGIS and DHS indicated at the ASAP presentation that DHS had reached out to OGIS and volunteered to be assessed. OGIS is aiming to complete the assessments by approximately September 30, 2015, the end of the fiscal year.
OGIS thus far has issued two FOIA assessments pertaining to its parent agency, the National Archives and Records Administration. OGIS assesses FOIA programs by reviewing a variety of sources, including:
- a sampling of FOIA request files;
- agency FOIA regulations and internal guidance for processing requests;
- agency training materials;
- agency website;
- agency Annual FOIA and Chief FOIA Officer reports to DOJ; and
- agency visits and interviews.
Read more about OGIS's review methodology here.