I’ve been unable to get a response, let alone an answer out of the U.S. Coast Guard for months on whether they made a report on the sinking of a fishing boat in Alaska in 1970 and whether I can get a copy.
There should be nothing controversial here: I worked on this boat for the summer; a week after I went home it was rammed by a power barge in Frederick Sound and sunk. There were no casualties. I’d like to know what happened in more detail (the captain’s wife wrote briefly about it to my mother).
I’ve written the Coast Guard (public information) in the district involved several times, with no response. I’ve called the same on the telephone, with “Gee, I dunno” responses. I’ve been referred to the district Coast Guard historian, who wanted to know who gave me his phone number more than he wanted to answer my question. He promised to look into it. No further contact after a year.
Does ANYONE know if a Coast Guard accident report of a collision and sinking of a fishing boat from 1970 is a public record to which I have a right of access? Who do I have to contact to request it?
What is the retention period for this type of report? An accident that occurred 41 years ago may simply be past their retention period and they have no wish to tell you that.
Or, they are supposed to have those documents still, and don’t for whatever reason. It happens. In which case they are ducking you to avoid telling you that.
But likely nobody is paying attention to it because it did not come through the proper FOIA channels and they have other duties to attend to. The link posted by IAmNotSpartacus has an electronic form for submitting FOIA requests. Give that a try.
If that FOIA request doesn’t produce results in a reasonable amount of time, try writing your congressman and explaining that you’ve tried the normal channels and haven’t found it useful, and detailing exactly what it is that you are looking for.
Each branch has a records management policy. Have not dealt with USCG but have dealt with FAA and NTSB – when it comes to accident records they retain reports forever. I suspect USCG is the same. (Whether one exists is another story.)
Local folks aren’t expert in records management. File an official FOIA request. I guarantee you’ll get a response pretty quickly.
In my work, I file hundreds of FOI requests a year. The folks who handle them – especially at sizable agencies – are in the business of helping share records. If you follow their documented process, you’ll almost always get good results. The rare times when I have issues is with town clerks in small towns, and that’s usually an issue of incompetence rather than intentional obstruction.
I wish. I might be able to get some friends in Alaska speak to someone in the Alaska Legislature, but I’m reminded of a remark by Eomar in the Two Towers (the movie) about why Merry shouldn’t be given a sword: “It is not the strength of his heart I doubt but the length of his arm.”
I work for the Coast Guard, though as a software engineer not in records, but this would be my approach as well. There may be some other issues with records related to the nature of the incident that has left them classified and won’t be declassified without a FOIA request. It’s also possible that the records theoretically exist but aren’t readily available because they’re from so long ago or the whole transition from DOT to DHS made a mess of older records.
Either way, you’ll probably have a lot more luck working top down since the usual avenues are probably manned by the likes of YN3s and dead-end GS workers who can’t locate information that isn’t so readily available. The Coast Guard is often going to be burdened by a lot red tape and such because we have competing restrictions from both DOD and DHS. So, try the FOIA and, if that doesn’t work, you might need your congressman’s help.
Yes, I’m afraid a FOIA is the only option. Too bad you can’t just ask a question and get an answer from the Public Affairs people, but have to spend over a year fiddling around and finally go to the Internet. (My father was in the Coast Guard, so I have no “beef” with them other than this).
Thanks to everyone for the advice and commentary here. It’s much appreciated. Oh, and Elendil’s Heir: Yes, I know the movie quote was actually from The Return of the King. I’m in a rush here.
I’m not sure you’re understanding the suggestion that Elendil’s Heir and I were making. You don’t need to know your congressman, or think you need to pull some political muscle. You, and anyone else, can write to your congressman (or senator) and request this rather simple service. You don’t need to be a buddy or campaign contributor, or go through someone who knows someone. Just write a letter.
And don’t bother with the Alaska legislature – they’re unlikely to have pull or significant connection with the relevant Federal authorities. You need to be dealing with the US government, not the Alaska one, unless you think that some state agency was involved in the incident.
Maybe I am misinterpreting you, but don’t think of a FOIA request as a bad thing. You may not get anywhere with Public Affairs simply because they are not setup to handle this type of request. The Coast Guard expects these types of requests and has a system in place for them. It might take a little while to dig up the information or get back to you, but using the FOIA procedure will almost certainly get you an answer if not the actual information.
The last time I did that, I got a form letter response assuring me my Congressman was very interested in the concerns of his constituents, was happy indeed that I had taken the time to write, and was just as concerned about issue [check box] as I was, while knocking himself out to see that it was resolved satisfactorily. If they could do anything else for me, please let them know.
I am UTTERLY cynical about the Politocracy, and I’ve seen how it works in practice, having grown up in a political family and with close friends in political families. I wouldn’t expect even minor constituent service unless you’re a contributor with a cancelled check on file, a party member, or at least a registered voter–and they DO check. I’m only the latter, which is why I got the return letter, a service to my Congressman’s next reelection campaign, not me.
The only time I ever got service from a political body, on a simple land-use issue directly affecting my family home, it cost several very difficult months of my time, an intervention by the Ombudsman, and $1200 in legal fees from a very good lawyer. One official was fired, another demoted to half-time, and a third got a nasty letter from the City. I got a stalemate but my attorney says we have them over barrel in court, and it won’t come to that.
I’ll try the FOIA on the CG records, and If I get irritated enough, hire an attorney to ask its status. That they hear, so long as you’re not “political” or otherwise a problem, both of which I avoid like the plague (I write polite letters to the Devil).
Sorry for the rant. Thanks for the advice. No, really, I’m serious. The problem is it confronts my direct and bitter experience.
It’s fine if you’d rather handle it another way, no skin off my beak. But I do have to correct you: they do not check. If they do, it is a violation of the Hatch Act and almost certainly the Federal bribery statute, which prohibits any official action undertaken with the understanding of or as a result of a campaign contribution, and is punishable by 15 years in the pokey.
Since the forwarding of constituent inquiries is a routine process (large Federal agencies probably see many thousands of such inquiries each year), so it certainly would be exceptional for a member of Congress to risk prison time by employing a quid pro quo for such a relatively minor official act.
Good luck on your inquiries, and let us know what you find out.
Here’s a step-by-step guide how to request federal records. This is from my own experience; I’ve had to request my own military records.
First, file a FOIA request with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Coast Guard with the specific information you’re looking for. The more information you can give them, the easier it’ll be for them to help you. The NTSB does do some marine investigations, but I’m not sure if they’d be the one to handle the report, or if it would be the Coast Guard.
Give the NTSB/Coast Guard time to process your request. They will respond, eventually. If after about three months or so you don’t hear back…
Call your US Congressman’s office that’s closest to where you are (e.g. Fairbanks or Anchorage or Juneau or wherever; not Washington) and ask to speak to the constituent case worker. It’s his/her job to follow up on constituent requests. Never mind the political cynicism; they will get you what you want.
When I needed some of my old military health records, I called and spoke to a very nice lady who made it clear to me that she’d be more than happy to crawl up the ass of any bureaucrat she encountered to make sure I got my records. (She didn’t say so literally, but her tone of voice was pretty no-nonsense.) FWIW, I’m neither a contributor nor a party member, but he is my congressman, and his job (and his staff’s job) is to represent me and help me when I need it.
You need to have some patience, but they will come through.