From case lead to request-ready source packet.
I handle the part between “this might be a story” and “the producer has the record trail”: case discovery, agency and custodian identification, request targeting, source verification, chronology, and an organized handoff a writer or editor can actually use.
Research built for production, not a browser-tab dump.
1. Find the right case
Research public records, court material, agency releases, local reporting, and official identifiers to determine whether a case has enough documentary value to pursue.
2. Identify the record holder
Map the likely police department, sheriff, prosecutor, court, corrections agency, 911 center, or other custodian and note the relevant request portal or procedure.
3. Build the request
Prepare a narrow request with the incident identifiers, date range, record types, and other details that reduce avoidable back-and-forth with the agency.
4. Hand off the source trail
Organize what is located or released, note what remains pending or denied, preserve the request/reference number, and separate verified facts from claims that still need support.
Teams producing from official records.
This is a fit for true-crime channels, documentary producers, investigative podcasts, and nonfiction teams that need official-source material rather than recycled clips or uncited summaries.
Bodycam / dashcam projects
Case scouting, custodian research, request language, tracking notes, proof-of-release organization, and related reports.
Documentary episodes
Original documents, public-record trails, event chronology, archive leads, and source packets for scripting.
Podcast research
Guest/background packets, public records, source verification, chronology, and unresolved-question lists.
Long-term production support
Per-case or hourly research with a written scope and cap before work begins.
I do not promise that an agency will release a record, that a particular record exists, or that a release is legally cleared for every downstream commercial use. The deliverable is the research trail, request work, and organized record set; rights questions and agency restrictions stay documented rather than guessed.