FBI response

[SlowJedi]

I just got a letter from FBI in response to one of my FOIPA requests, just wanted to know what you, the expert guys, make out of it:

"Your FBI FOIPA request is awaiting assignnment. To streamline our operations, we divide our requests into three tracks based on the amount of material to be processed: small (1-500 pages); medium (501-2500 pages); and large (2501 or more pages). This step has enabled the FBI to make considerable progress in reducing the amount of work on hand, but despite our commitment, processing delays still occur due to the number of requests still awaiting review. Your request is in the small track queue. It is estimated that material pertaining to you consists of approximately 20 pages , and it is estimated that your request will be assigned to one of our processing units within the next few months."

- is 20 pages in the file good or bad?
- How many months is the "few months"? I've been waiting for my name check for over 12 months already, and it's been 5 months since my first FOIPA request.

Thanks for any insights.

 

[PRUSA]

Для того, что бы ответить на Ваш FOIPA запрос «аналист» из отдела Харди должен просмотреть Ваше дело и определить какие данные можно предавать огласке, а какие - нельзя. Попробуйте убедить их, что для экономии их собственных ресурсов Ваше дело имеет смысл «проанализировать» одновременно как с точки зрения FOIPA, так и с точки зрения name check. ФБР шустрее работает по FOIPA нежели чем по нейм чеку.

 

[max2k1]

Для того, что бы ответить на Ваш FOIPA запрос «аналист» из отдела Харди должен просмотреть Ваше дело и определить какие данные можно предавать огласке, а какие - нельзя. Попробуйте убедить их, что для экономии их собственных ресурсов Ваше дело имеет смысл «проанализировать» одновременно как с точки зрения FOIPA, так и с точки зрения name check. ФБР шустрее работает по FOIPA нежели чем по нейм чеку.

Yes - I totally agree with the mumbo jumbo in this post

"FOIPA" was mentioned thrice and "name check" once

Care to translate that to English ??

 

[tangohi]

why would fbi have 20 pages on you in your file. THis might have caused some delays as they have to review your file and then make a decision.
If photocopying will take months then you can imagine the time it will take for them to review your case and clear it. Usually if someone has nothing or no record it comes back as No records found.

 

[SlowJedi]

Для того, что бы ответить на Ваш FOIPA запрос «аналист» из отдела Харди должен просмотреть Ваше дело и определить какие данные можно предавать огласке, а какие - нельзя. Попробуйте убедить их, что для экономии их собственных ресурсов Ваше дело имеет смысл «проанализировать» одновременно как с точки зрения FOIPA, так и с точки зрения name check. ФБР шустрее работает по FOIPA нежели чем по нейм чеку.

Actually, the translation is:

"IN order to answer your FOIPA request, the "analyst" from Hardy's department must look through your case and determine which information can be publicly disclosed, and which one can not be. Try to convince them that for the sake of better (efficient) use of their own resources, it would make better sense to "analyze" your FOIPA file simultaneously with your name check case. FBI tends to work much faster on FOIPA cases, than on name check cases."

Well, the problem is that the government NEVER thinks in terms of efficiency!

And as far as the 20 pages go, I have no clue what can be there! What kind of information do they normally have on normal people in their files? I assume that EVERYBODY has some kind of file there, but how many pages are the "normal" staff, and how many would make it an "abnormal"???

C'mon, comrades, let's stick to English!

 

[RealSuperK]

I just got a letter from FBI in response to one of my FOIPA requests, just wanted to know what you, the expert guys, make out of it:

"Your FBI FOIPA request is awaiting assignnment. To streamline our operations, we divide our requests into three tracks based on the amount of material to be processed: small (1-500 pages); medium (501-2500 pages); and large (2501 or more pages). This step has enabled the FBI to make considerable progress in reducing the amount of work on hand, but despite our commitment, processing delays still occur due to the number of requests still awaiting review. Your request is in the small track queue. It is estimated that material pertaining to you consists of approximately 20 pages , and it is estimated that your request will be assigned to one of our processing units within the next few months."

- is 20 pages in the file good or bad?
- How many months is the "few months"? I've been waiting for my name check for over 12 months already, and it's been 5 months since my first FOIPA request.

Thanks for any insights.

I've highlighted the most amusing parts - they have streamlined operations and for a person who is in the small cue it takes around a year and a half to two years to get the decision. Now THAT is what I call efficiency! I wonder if they think that terrorists will eventually get tired of waiting for their green cards / citizenship and leave the country in disgust before they get a chance to blow up something. As if to say "Gawd damn it, we don't need to blow up anything, this country will fall apart by itself with this kind of government efficiency"

Sounds like I'll start collecting my social security before my name check is complete... and I'm in my late 20s.

K

 

[SlowJedi]

I liked that part too. I also liked the diplomatic tone of the letter that says that it'll take them several months to assign the case to a unit! It never says how many months it'll take that unit to process the case and send out the results.

I just had a similar example of the government "efficiency": When my daughter was born in January, the hostpital screwed up my wife's name in their paperwork, ONE spelling mistake but it made her name look like a man's name. I don't have anything against gay marriages, but I didn't want my daughter's birth certificate to look like she was born between two guys. So, I applied to California Social Security Administration to change ONE spelling mistake in my wife's name in my daughter's birth certificate. First off, even though it was not my error, I had to pay $150 for it. TWO MONTHS later, I get a card in the mail that states that these types of cases take this department 7 months to handle. It took these people more time to type the mailing address on this postcard than it would take them to correct ONE spelling error in my wife's name!!! And, the funny part was that on the mailing label on the card, they managed to make FOUR spelling errors in my wife's name!!

Oh, here's another really funny thing! Social Security Administration, judging by their web address on this card, is now also under the same Department of Home Land Security as INS and FBI! The most "efficient" Department in the world!

I lived in Russia, India and China, I've seen Bureacracy. Indian and Russian bureacrats can take lessons from their American counterparts and still be years behind.

 

[RealSuperK]

What cracks me up is that let's say FBI run my name check and I got a hit. They put me into a line and get to me in 2 years. So, in other words, if I was some sort of a bad guy (by the way, why would a terrorist or a mafia guy apply for the citizenship? You can't blow up stuff these days unless you are an American ?), they give me 2 years to do something crazy till they review my file. Wouldn't you wanna check that kind of stuff ASAP?!? Is this one hell of a joke of Homeland security or what?

Next item - I had a name check done when I went through my green card process 5 years ago. Why do you need to check anything before that? Just in case they screwed up something before? C'mon.

And another thing - it's great of them to assume that I can sit in one place for 3 years while they are trying to figure out what to do with my file - put a coffee mug on it or maybe use it as a donut tray? However, I have things in my life that can't just stay still. I have a career that might require me move from one end of the country to another or go abroad. I elected to apply for the citizenship because I wanna be able to vote in this country since it's my new home. Well, guess what, once I'm able to vote, I'll remember who was in charge while my application was collecting dust in the USCIS.

K