Public records

Kentucky open records request guide for police surveillance

Request plate-reader policies, contracts, sharing lists and audit records, with a fill-in template and the response and appeal rules.

Sources checked 10-23-2026.

Send the request to the agency holding the records

For a police department's records, use that department's designated custodian and request address. The Attorney General says requests for another agency's records go to that agency, not to the Attorney General. Kentucky AG: request the holding agency

Check eligibility and describe existing records

KRS 61.872 gives qualifying Kentucky residents a right to inspect records subject to exceptions. A custodian may require a signed written application with a legible printed name and a statement of the statutory residency basis. The statute allows delivery by email to the designated custodian, mail, fax or hand delivery. No particular request form may be required. KRS 61.872: requests and availability

Eligibility is broader than simply living in Kentucky. The AG guide includes qualifying businesses and people working at a Kentucky location, as well as defined representatives and news organizations. Use a truthful statutory basis and check the full definition for the particular circumstances. Kentucky AG: 2025 records guide

Keep the scope practical

Choose a date range and ask for named records. The template below is an editorial starting point: policies, contracts, sharing lists, retention schedules and a narrow audit-log period. It does not claim that every department creates or retains each item. Some portions may be exempt. KRS 61.872: requests and availability

The response deadline

The agency must decide whether to comply and notify the requester in writing within five days after receipt, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. A denial must identify the specific exception and explain its application. That response deadline is not an unconditional promise that every record will be produced by then. KRS 61.880: responses and review

For records in use, in storage or otherwise unavailable, KRS 61.872 addresses notice and inspection timing. A longer delay requires a detailed reason and the earliest availability date. KRS 61.872: requests and availability

Copy and adapt this request

Replace every bracketed field and use only truthful statements. Narrow the audit-log dates and decide which categories you need before sending. This site does not send the request.

Download request template (.txt)

To: [Agency records custodian and published request address]

Subject: Kentucky Open Records Act request: automated license plate reader records

Date: [MM-DD-YYYY]

I request the following existing records under KRS 61.870 through 61.884 for [agency], covering [start date] through [end date], unless a different period is specified below.

I qualify as a resident of the Commonwealth because [state the truthful statutory basis, such as residing in Kentucky]. My name is [printed full name].

1. Current and superseded policies governing automated license plate readers, access, permissible searches, retention, sharing and audits, effective during the specified period.

2. Executed contracts, amendments, purchase orders and invoices for the agency's plate-reader equipment and services during that period.

3. Existing lists or exports identifying agencies and other entities authorized to access or receive the agency's plate-reader data, and associated sharing agreements in effect during that period.

4. Existing access and query audit logs for [narrow date range], including the fields already maintained for date, user or agency, stated purpose and audit disposition, subject to lawful redaction.

5. Existing retention schedules and deletion-policy records applicable during that period.

Please provide electronic copies in an existing electronic format where available. This request seeks existing records, not the creation of a new report or answers to questions.

If any portion is withheld, please identify the specific statutory exception and explain how it applies. Please provide any nonexempt portions that can be separated.

If a record is unavailable within the ordinary response period, please explain the cause and provide the earliest date it will be available. If you are not the custodian, please identify the appropriate custodian.

Please notify me before incurring fees above [$ amount]. [If true: This request is for a noncommercial purpose.] Please send the written response and records to [email or mailing address].

Signature: [signature]

Printed name: [full name]

Contact: [email or mailing address]

If the response is denied or overdue

Send a written appeal to the Attorney General with the original request and the denial. If no written response was provided, include the request and explain the lack of response. The AG publishes the appeal address [email protected]. Keep evidence of delivery and the timeline. Kentucky AG: appeals procedure · KRS 61.880: responses and review

KRS 61.880 also permits complaints about excessive delays or fees. A party has 30 days from the Attorney General's decision to appeal it in court. That is a deadline for court review of the AG decision, not the agency's five-day response rule. KRS 61.880: responses and review

KRS 61.880 sets a 20-day Attorney General review period excluding weekends and legal holidays, with notice-based extensions for unusual circumstances. KRS 61.880: responses and review

Questions and answers

Should I ask for the locations of every driver?

Start with governance records and a narrowly defined audit request. The template does not seek a database of ordinary drivers' movements, and does not promise that operational or personal records are releasable.

Is the first request sent to the Attorney General?

Only for records held by that office. A request for a police department's records goes to the department's custodian. An appeal is a later step. Kentucky AG: request the holding agency · Kentucky AG: appeals procedure

Do five days include weekends?

The KRS 61.880 response period excludes Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. KRS 61.880: responses and review

Sources and scope

KRS 61.872: requests and availability. Checked 10-23-2026.
KRS 61.880: responses and review. Checked 10-23-2026.
Kentucky AG: 2025 records guide. Checked 10-23-2026.
Kentucky AG: appeals procedure. Checked 10-23-2026.
Kentucky AG: request the holding agency. Checked 10-23-2026.