Investigations
Follow the records. Understand the story.
Explore Niles Connect investigations, review the public records
behind them, follow documented claims and findings, and see how
the available evidence develops over time.
Accountability & research
Investigations built around source material
Niles Connect investigations can bring together public records,
timelines, FOIA activity, organizations, people, questions,
and documented claims into one research project.
Start with the records
Source documents and evidence provide the foundation for
understanding what an investigation is based on.
Follow the investigation
Investigation pages can connect related records, events,
organizations, questions, and other research material.
Review carefully
Records can be incomplete or open to interpretation.
Published research should distinguish documented information
from questions, allegations, and conclusions.
Current research
Published investigations
Browse investigations that have been made publicly available
through DocumentWatch.
2026-08-12
A total of 5,719 Flock audit records were reviewed. Of those, 3,938 records contained a case number, while 1,781 records, or 31.1%, had no case number entered in the system’s Case # field. The…
Search DocumentWatch
Search across the research
Search public investigations, evidence, FOIA material,
questions, timeline entries, people, organizations,
and documented claims.
Documented issues
Claims & findings
DocumentWatch currently stores this material as claims.
These entries can represent documented assertions, findings,
conclusions, or issues connected to public investigations.
The review of 5,719 Niles Police Department Flock Safety audit records covering June 1, 2025 through February 6, 2026 produced the following findings: Nearly one-third of the records had no case number. Of the…
Public-record requests
FOIA activity
Public-record requests can be part of the research process.
Browse publicly available FOIA entries maintained through
DocumentWatch.
Niles 26-829
ActiveNiles Police Department
I respectfully request copies of records concerning surveillance technologies acquired, maintained, accessed, operated, or used by your agency. 1. Surveillance Technology Contracts and Purchasing Records I request all records relating to the acquisition, purchase,…
How investigations are organized
More than a collection of documents
DocumentWatch can organize several types of public research
around the same investigation.
Evidence & records
Public documents and source material associated with the research.
Timelines
Events can be organized chronologically to help show how
an issue developed over time.
FOIA requests
Public-record requests can document what information was requested,
received, or remains outstanding.
Questions
Open questions help distinguish unresolved issues from
documented conclusions.
People & organizations
Relevant individuals, agencies, and organizations can be connected
to investigation material.
Claims
Documented claims can be connected to records and investigation
material for review.
From research to reporting
Investigations and articles serve different purposes.
DocumentWatch organizes research and supporting material.
WordPress articles allow Niles Connect to publish narrative
reporting, explainers, analysis, and updates based on that work.
Investigation workspace
Structured records, evidence, timelines, questions,
organizations, and research material.
Niles Connect reporting
Articles explain issues for readers and can link back to
the underlying source material.
Public Records
Residents can independently review available source material
rather than relying only on an article summary.
Questions are not conclusions.
An investigation may contain unresolved questions, allegations,
preliminary information, conflicting records, or material requiring
additional context. Niles Connect should distinguish those items
from conclusions supported by the available evidence.
Continue researching
Want to review the underlying material?
Search Public Records, use the broader records search,
or return to Government & Records for additional
transparency and civic-information tools.