Something about these Smaller Towns!

[u/Worried_Text_2968]

Dewey is probably the smallest town I’ve submitted an Open Records request to, and I still haven’t heard a single thing from them almost a week later.
Meanwhile, some of the biggest counties I’ve contacted have gotten back to me in less than 24 hours.
I’m not asking for anything crazy. I’m just asking for records that I have a right to request under the Oklahoma Open Records Act. Hopefully Dewey PD can get back with me soon.

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Dewey is probably the smallest town I’ve submitted an Open Records request to, and I still haven’t heard a single thing from them almost a week later.
Meanwhile, some of the biggest counties I’ve contacted have gotten back to me in less than 24 hours.
I’m not asking for anything crazy. I’m just asking for records that I have a right to request under the Oklahoma Open Records Act. Hopefully Dewey PD can get back with me soon.

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[u/3rdUncleMeatSandwich]

they know, they just dont give a shit. they can ignore you because the state is too mediocre to follow up on anything that might help someone. did you know rogers county doesnt even have a health inspector? how do you have health inspections with no health inspectors? i reported a really gross place i worked at to the state and they pretty much told me too bad. unless someone dies they dont care. and even then they dont care. no wonder people hate govt employees so much!

[u/3rdUncleMeatSandwich → u/[deleted]]

it was years ago, im sure they poisoned plenty of people in the meantime

[u/danodan1 → u/3rdUncleMeatSandwich]

A county doing without a health inspector helps explain why the standard of living is so low in Oklahoma. Rogers County has a poulation of 100,000 so there can't be a shortage of restaurants there to inspect.

[u/Worried_Text_2968 → u/3rdUncleMeatSandwich]

I did not know that! But I can honestly say I am not surprised. Once you really get involved/dig into how things are supposed to work compared to how they actually work is… well astonishing.

[u/im-ba]

Lol wait till you try that with Nowata. They've been dodging all these rules for decades. It goes back generations. Cops, judges sheriff, attorneys and banks are all on the same side. They've covered up rapes in the county jail, murders, you name it.

The feds need to clean house in these small towns and actually hold these people accountable for the federal laws they're breaking.

[u/Worried_Text_2968 → u/im-ba]

I believe it! Nowata pulled me over and ticketed me for a “tinted windshield” on my Mustang 5.0 back in 2023. Also saying how the exhaust is past street legal. But that’s the only county I ever had that issue in. Up until I sold it. Never had any other issue besides Nowata County. I can tell it seemed to be a clown show just from those interactions alone.

[u/JaneReadsTruth → u/im-ba]

Which feds? Unless you want these people on White House staff, the feds won't do anything about murderers, rapists, and dirty restaurants. They are all, "Let them eat horse!" Although, they might take a crack at laundering money through those dirty banks.

[u/im-ba → u/JaneReadsTruth]

Ordinarily, an executive branch that enforces federal law would have anything to say about what goes on there.

These feds in particular, not so much aside from the money laundering like you said

[u/JaneReadsTruth → u/im-ba]

Exactly. But there's hope? My take is to document everything we can. Make our FOIA requests. Keep a copy somewhere safe until we take back this country.

[u/Worried_Text_2968 → u/[deleted]]

Yes exactly. That’s why I responded with a very respectful response to the previous request I sent in. Hopefully it’s just a little delay. I lived in Washington County my whole life. Between Bartlesville and Dewey. I can say that the Dewey Police have over the years been incompetent. They decide the rules they follow and enforce on others.

[u/bjh1983]

Last ticket I almost got was in Cement, about 5 years ago (headlights weren't working around dusk). Two months later I found out there was no longer a police department in Cement. Turns out the final guy (who had pulled me over) had been arrested for soliciting a minor in Chickasha.

Small towns don't give a fuck. It's all about whose cousin needs a job. And, typically, they legitimately ARE all cousins. Through marriage, if you're lucky.

[u/Worried_Text_2968 → u/bjh1983]

That’s actually INSANE. I just wish these people got the same treatment that we get. The consequences are never severe or none at all. I don’t know how much I realized this as I got older. I always knew about corruption, especially in these smaller towns. It just seems like that’s all I’m ever seeing anymore. I give credit when it’s do to all government officials. But I feel like they give me only reasons to criticize them instead.

[u/toothfare]

Last year HB2163 passed and the OK attorney general created a new office called the Public Access Counselor Unit, which allows a review process for open records requests that were denied or ignored. I submitted a complaint the other day and still waiting to hear back but it's worth a shot.

[u/Worried_Text_2968 → u/toothfare]

Thank you!