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DOJ FOIA 2004 ANNUAL REPORT - BASIC TERMS AND ACRONYMS

III. DEFINITIONS OF BASIC TERMS AND ACRONYMS USED IN THE REPORT

A. Agency-specific acronyms or other terms


Office of the AG Office of the Attorney General
Office of the DAG Office of the Deputy Attorney General
Office of the Assoc. AG Office of the Associate Attorney General
 
ATF Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
Antitrust Antitrust Division
BOP Bureau of Prisons
Civil Civil Division
Civil Rights Civil Rights Division
CRS Community Relations Service
Criminal Criminal Division
DEA Drug Enforcement Administration
ENRD Environment and Natural Resources Division
EOIR Executive Office for Immigration Review
EOUSA Executive Office for United States Attorneys
EOUST Executive Office for United States Trustees
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation
FCSC Foreign Claims Settlement Commission
JMD Justice Management Division
NDIC National Drug Intelligence Center
COPS Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
ODR Office of Dispute Resolution
OFDT Office of the Federal Detention Trustee
OIP Office of Information and Privacy
OIG Office of the Inspector General
OIPR Office of Intelligence Policy and Review
OIPL Office of Intergovernmental and Public Liaison
OJP Office of Justice Programs
OLC Office of Legal Counsel
OLP Office of Legal Policy
OLA Office of Legislative Affairs
Pardon Attorney Office of the Pardon Attorney
OPR Office of Professional Responsibility
Public Affairs Office of Public Affairs
OSG Office of the Solicitor General
PRAO Professional Responsibility Advisory Office
Tax Tax Division
USMS U.S. Marshals Service
USNCB U.S. National Central Bureau--INTERPOL
USPC U.S. Parole Commission


B. Basic Terms, Expressed in Common Terminology

1. FOIA/PA request -- a Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act request. A FOIA request is generally a request for access to records concerning a third party, an organization, or a particular topic of interest. A Privacy Act request is a request for records concerning oneself; such requests are also treated as FOIA requests. (All requests for access to records, regardless of which law is cited by the requester, if any, are included in this report.)

2. Initial Request -- a request to a federal agency for access to records under the Freedom of Information Act.

3. Appeal -- a request to a federal agency asking that it review at a higher administrative level a full denial or partial denial of access to records under the Freedom of Information Act, or any other FOIA determination such as a matter pertaining to fees.

4. Processed Request or Appeal -- a request or appeal for which an agency has taken a final action on the request or the appeal in all respects.

5. Multi-track processing -- a system in which simple requests requiring relatively minimal review are placed in one processing track and more voluminous and complex requests are placed in one or more other tracks. Requests in each track are processed on a first-in/first-out basis. A requester who has an urgent need for records may request expedited processing (see below).

6. Expedited processing -- an agency will process a FOIA request on an expedited basis when a requester has shown an exceptional need or urgency for the records which warrants prioritization of his or her request over other requests that were made earlier.

7. Simple request -- a FOIA request that an agency using multitrack processing places in its fastest (nonexpedited) track based on the volume and/or simplicity of records requested.

8. Complex request -- a FOIA request that an agency using multitrack processing places in a slower track based on the volume and/or complexity of records requested.

9. Grant -- an agency decision to disclose all records in full in response to a FOIA request.

10. Partial grant -- an agency decision to disclose a record in part in response to a FOIA request, deleting information determined to be exempt under one or more FOIA exemptions; or a decision to disclose some records in their entireties, but to withhold others in whole or in part.

11. Denial -- an agency decision not to release any part of a record or records in response to a FOIA request because all the information in the requested records is determined by the agency to be exempt under one or more of the FOIA's exemptions, or for some procedural reason (such as because no record is located in response to a FOIA request).

12. Time limits -- the time period in the Freedom of Information Act for an agency to respond to a FOIA request (ordinarily 20 working days from proper receipt of a "perfected" FOIA request).

13. "Perfected" request -- a FOIA request for records that adequately describes the records sought, that has been received by the FOIA office of the agency or agency component in possession of the records, and for which there is no remaining question about the payment of applicable fees.

14. Exemption 3 statute -- a separate federal statute prohibiting the disclosure of a certain type of information and authorizing its withholding under FOIA subsection (b)(3).

15. Median number -- the middle, not average, number. For example, of 3, 7, and 14, the median number is 7.

16. Average number -- the number obtained by dividing the sum of a group of numbers by the quantity of numbers in the group. For example, of 3, 7, and 14, the average number is 8.

17. Day -- working day.


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Updated July 23, 2014