Delawarel County's revealing responses to a FOIL request

In 2010 I asked Delaware County, New York, through a FOIL request, to provide me the list of all of its written policies.

I received a response that Delaware County has none.

In 2015 I repeated the request.

The response I received last week was that there are too many in existence to send me immediately, and that I need to come to Delaware County (from South Carolina where I am now) to review the policies and ask to provide me copies of "what I need".

Which is, as you understand, dear readers, BS and attempt to avoid response to the FOIL request which I will appeal.

Next, I asked in 2010 and in 2015 whether Delaware County has an anti-nepotism policy (policy against hiring relatives in a position that may present conflicts of interest).

No such policy in 2010 and no such policy in 2015.  Delaware County employment swarms with relatives, often with different last names, making them, and conflicts of interest they create, untraceable.

I asked in 2010 and in 2015 whether Delaware County has any policy specifically for disqualification of employees where they engage in activities that may present a conflict of interest with their direct duties.

No such policy in 2010 and no such policy in 2015.

I asked repeatedly from 2009 to 2015, for documents showing Delaware County's compliance with certification requirement of its Sheriff's Department by the New York State Criminal Justice Department - while such certification is paraded to Delaware County residents as evidence of good training and good practices in the Sheriff's Department.

Up to 2015 Delaware County was only inviting me to review those records (which I know must exist, because otherwise Delaware County Sheriff's Department would not have had continued certification from the State Criminal Justice Department). 

In 2015 the response to that same question asked on a FOIL request was that there are "no records responsive" to my request.  Which - I know - is BS. 

Well, I will ask for the same records from the Criminal Justice Department.  Records supporting a certification that the Sheriff's Department parades as evidence that it is well trained and does not violate people's constitutional rights are subject to FOIL on both ends of the filings.

There was also an interesting discovery regarding the bail receipt of a certain individual, posted in the fall of 2014.

Judge Carl F. Becker was listed as the judge on the receipt - even though at the time bail was posted and the case was transferred to Delaware County Becker had to recuse from the case of my client - as he promised to the federal court he would, in order to have a certain lawsuit dismissed.

Well, this is not the first time when Becker lied to authorities and went back on his word after he attained what he wanted.

I will keep the public informed about responses to FOIL requests I receive from various state and local agencies.

Stay tuned.