True Crime Researcher I FOIA & Police Bodycam Footage Expert

FOIA Researcher — Bodycam & Criminal Court Records (Ongoing) We produce a documentary-style YouTube channel built around real criminal cases sourced through official public records. We need a researcher who can independently identify cases, submit and manage FOIA and public records requests across the United States, and deliver fully documented case packages to our production team. The Cases We're Looking For Every case must have a central paradox — the suspect's identity or profession makes their crime feel impossible or deeply wrong. We are not looking for generic criminal cases. We want stories where who the person is makes what they did genuinely shocking. Examples: - Armored truck driver stealing from his own delivery route - Bank teller skimming from customer deposits - Pastor, doctor, teacher, or elected official caught committing a serious crime - Elderly suspect (70+) arrested for a violent or premeditated crime - Named-brand employee using insider access to steal from customers - Military, law enforcement, or public servant as the perpetrator Case Qualification Checklist Only submit FOIA requests for cases that pass every item below: - Suspect has a shocking identity — elderly (70+), politician, judge, pastor, doctor, nurse, teacher, military, armored truck driver, bank teller, or named-brand employee - Suspect behaves wrongly on camera — laughs, smiles, lies confidently, or appears unbothered during a serious investigation - Suspect is caught in at least two verifiable lies across separate interviews or statements - Case includes unexpected evidence — Fitbit, Apple Watch, Ring camera, GPS data, internal truck cameras, or bank transaction logs - Victim is clearly innocent with a sympathetic documented backstory - Case is fully resolved — arrest made, charges filed, sentence known if possible Footage and Records You Are Sourcing - Bodycam footage from initial response and arrest - Interrogation room footage — highest priority for every case - Surveillance and security camera footage where available - Court documents showing charges, conviction, and sentencing - Arrest records and booking information Where You Will Submit Requests - Individual law enforcement agency public records portals - State-specific public records portals - MuckRock for submitting and tracking requests at scale - PACER for federal court records - State court public access portals What You Deliver Per Case - All obtained footage files labeled and organized by source type - Court documents — charges, conviction, and sentencing records - Case summary — suspect name, identity, crime, exact dollar amount if applicable, and key dates - Evidence list ordered from weakest to most damning - Victim profile sourced from official records - Agency contact log — every agency contacted, date, what was requested, and current status Who This Is For - Direct experience submitting and managing FOIA requests across multiple states - Familiar with state-by-state public records laws and agency response timelines - Comfortable navigating PACER, MuckRock, and state court portals - Able to manage 5 to 10 active requests at the same time - Can consistently deliver 2 to 3 fully documented cases per week To Apply Please include the following in your proposal: - Which states you have submitted public records requests in - The most complex FOIA request you have managed and how long it took - How many active requests you are comfortable running at once - Your preferred pay structure — hourly, per case, or per successful record obtained