Cedar County Reduces Public Records Processing Time by 60%
How a county clerk's office streamlined FOIA and public records response processing while maintaining proper exemption handling for citizen privacy.
About Cedar County Clerk's Office
Cedar County is a mid-sized county in the Midwest with a population of approximately 85,000 residents. The County Clerk's Office is responsible for responding to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and state open records requests, covering everything from police reports to property records to government communications.
With a small staff of three handling all records requests, efficiency is critical—especially as request volumes have grown with increased public interest in government transparency and journalists increasingly using FOIA for investigative reporting.
Office Profile
- Type: County Government
- Population: ~85,000
- Requests: 50+/month
- Staff: 3 records clerks
- Deadline: 5 business days (state law)
The Challenge
Linda Martinez, Records Manager at Cedar County, described the pressure her small team faced:
"Every FOIA request is on a countdown. State law gives us five business days to respond, but a single request might involve dozens of documents—police reports, email chains, personnel files. Every page has to be reviewed for exempt information like SSNs, victim addresses, or medical details. We were drowning in paper."
The office faced several compounding challenges:
Statutory Deadlines
State law requires response within 5 business days. Missing deadlines triggers complaints, appeals, and potential legal fees.
Complex Exemptions
FOIA has numerous exemptions (SSNs, medical info, victim addresses, ongoing investigations). Each must be properly applied.
Growing Volume
Request volume has increased 40% over three years as journalists and citizens increasingly use FOIA for government accountability.
Budget Constraints
No budget for enterprise software. Any solution had to be cost-effective and not require IT infrastructure changes.
The Solution
Cedar County adopted SafeRedact because it fit their specific needs:
No IT Requirements
Browser-based means no software installation, no server setup, no IT involvement. Government records stay on county systems.
AI First Pass
AI identifies likely PII (SSNs, addresses, phone numbers, DOBs) for human review, dramatically speeding up the initial review process.
Budget-Friendly
At $99/year unlimited, the cost is trivial for a government budget. No procurement process for expensive enterprise software.
The New Workflow
How SafeRedact fits into Cedar County's FOIA response process:
Request Received
FOIA request comes in. Clerk gathers responsive documents from relevant departments.
AI-Assisted Review
Documents run through SafeRedact. AI highlights likely exempt information (SSNs, addresses, etc.).
Human Verification
Clerk reviews AI suggestions, confirms or adjusts redactions based on applicable exemptions. Human judgment remains final.
Response Delivered
Properly redacted documents provided to requester within statutory deadline.
Common FOIA Exemptions Handled
SafeRedact helps Cedar County identify PII that typically falls under FOIA exemptions:
Social Security Numbers
Personnel records, benefit applications, background checks—SSNs appear throughout government documents.
Home Addresses
Crime victims, witnesses, and minors have address protection under most state FOIA laws.
Phone Numbers
Personal phone numbers in incident reports, complaints, and correspondence.
Dates of Birth
Combined with names, DOBs create identity theft risk and are commonly redacted.
Important: SafeRedact identifies common PII patterns. Final exemption determinations remain the responsibility of trained FOIA officers following applicable state and federal law. The tool assists but doesn't replace legal judgment.
The Results
After implementing SafeRedact:
Faster Processing
Average document review time dropped significantly. Requests that took hours now take much less time.
Deadline Compliance
The office now consistently meets 5-day statutory deadlines, reducing complaints and appeal risks.
Redaction Quality
AI assistance helps ensure similar documents receive similar treatment, improving consistency across staff.
Staff Fatigue
Less tedious line-by-line review means staff can focus on complex exemption questions and citizen service.
"Government transparency is our mission, but we also have a duty to protect citizen privacy. SafeRedact helps us do both efficiently. The browser-based approach was huge for us—no IT headaches, no cloud concerns about government records. It just works."
Note: This case study represents a composite of common experiences from government records offices. SafeRedact is a PII detection and redaction tool. FOIA exemption determinations require human judgment based on applicable federal and state law. We recommend trained FOIA officers review all redactions before releasing documents. SafeRedact does not provide legal advice.
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