While the Federal Bureau of Investigation kept close tabs on many civil rights activists, its records on Thelma Glass aren’t related to her advocacy. A lead organizer in the Women’s Political Council, the Alabama group that organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, her file focuses on an incident more than 30 years after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat.

In 1947, the FBI compiled techniques from seasoned investigators into a memorandum for agents in the field. Intended as a teaching tool, many of its suggestions for conducting interviews, obtaining confessions and training informants would today be considered unorthodox and illogical, if not outright racist or discriminatory.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety has been looking into purchasing an umanned aerial vehicle since at least last May, documents released to MuckRock show. At the urging of the Iowa DPS Commissioner, the Division of Intelligence has explored various means of gaining access to a drone, from outright purchase to leasing to borrowing a unit from the FBI.

About half of all complaints involve allegations of what the FTC calls “romance scams,” in which online con artists swindled hundreds or thousands of dollars from naive lonelyhearts.

Safety records regarding Fung Wah buses uncovered by MuckRock show that at least one of the company’s vehicles was “breaking in half.” The documents detail extensive safety violations prior to last month’s shutdown, including citations for operating buses in defiance of regulators’ orders.

On August 9th, 1990, two U.S. Embassy employees trying to enjoy a beer at the Mezhdunarodnaya Hotel in Moscow were interrupted by a stranger, who ended up sharing a bottle of wine. The embassy workers would later learn they had come face-to-face with one of the FBI’s most wanted: Edward Lee Howard, an ex-CIA officer trained in counter-surveillance who only a few years earlier had outwitted the Bureau to escape the county.

Between Sunshine Week 2012 and last week’s celebration, MuckRock has averaged almost one fulfilled open records request per day.

Requesting public records can be complex and frustrating. Our new Q&A section allows users to pose their questions and puzzles to MuckRock veterans and staff to capitalize on their wealth of public records experience. Now you can post a question, offer advice in reply and help fellow users exercise their open records rights!

Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s 18-page FBI file relates mostly to name checks for presidential appointments. A visit by two tourists to Armstrong’s home town, however, caused concern.

While federal agencies are subject to the Freedom of Information Act, which dictates that responsive documents or a denial should be produced within 20 business days, the law and reality rarely match up. Some of MuckRock’s earliest requests have been outstanding for more than two years.

As the FBI and FAA search for the drone that flew close to JFK airport without authorization, the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services has launched inquiries into acquiring an unmanned vehicle of its own.

Records released to MuckRock user Rich Jones show that the FBI’s Salt Lake City office conducted a 14-month investigation into the horrorcore duo’s fanbase. The file identifies Juggalos and Juggalettes as a “violent street gang” numbering in the thousands, whose members “sometimes paint their faces to look like wicked clowns” and “continue the dress by carrying small axes.”

Boston’s Inspectional Services Department has issued 2,414 citations for unshoveled sidewalks and improper snow removal in the wake of the historic blizzard. Just seven of the city’s 22 wards received nearly half of the tickets, with the bulk being issued in Hyde Park, Dorchester, Mattapan, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain and Allston-Brighton.

After a request by Rich Jones, the FBI has released its file on singer Whitney Houston. The documents chronicle interactions between the Bureau and Houston over a ten year period, including potentially threatening fans and allegations of extortion, one by a man claiming to be “President of Europe”

The Maine State Police spent just $300 to purchase an unmanned aerial vehicle in January. The small drone, marketed as a hobby plane, is controlled via smartphone or tablet application. While this model is not designed for law enforcement use, the department indicates it intends to use it in field operations.