Improved management practices and better use of IT has enabled CBP to substantially improve its compliance with Freedom of Information Act requests, a study has found.
A report by the National Archives noted that in 2015 CBP reduced its FOIA backlog by three-fourths to about 9,000 pending requests, despite an increase in the number of requests. The FOIA office, with about 50 employees, processed 140 requests per day on average, up by 10 per day from 2014.
The report cited initiatives including improving the process to sort routine requests from those requiring handling by more senior employees, and the shifting of resources to address issues as they arose. Also, the agency steered more requests through an online tracking and processing system, which is more efficient than mail and fax—although it still accepts requests in those formats.
The online portal also allows for checking whether duplicate requests exist. When the backlog was at its largest, requesters who did not receive a timely response sometimes submitted three or four identical requests and CBP did not discover the duplication until well into processing the backlogged requests, it said.
Regarding training, “FOIA managers informed us that the office provided staff with a two-day training and a one-day training session during FY 2015, and that staff members are welcome to attend any free training sessions. If there is a need for someone on the FOIA staff to receive specialized training, the office’s managers will nominate candidates.”
