DGO finds Saratoga Springs conducted reasonable search after petitioner flags missing interview

The director of the Department of Government Records denied a petitioner’s challenge to the Saratoga Springs Police Department’s search for records in Appeal No. 2026‑123.

Rebecca Potter, who identified herself as the reporting victim in case 25SS15197, told the panel she found a previously undisclosed interview while reviewing materials the city produced. Potter asked the DGO to determine whether the city’s search had been reasonable because one recorded contact dated around March 26–27 was not produced.

City counsel (Mister Hopkins) described steps taken after Potter identified the missing interview: clerks searched records for March 1–30 and produced an additional video the next day. Hopkins also said officers recalled attempting a call on the date Potter referenced but that the call went to voicemail and no recording exists. The city explained that previously produced materials included unrelated, previously‑released body‑camera footage that Potter had reviewed in an effort to locate responsive material.

The director said he was persuaded the city undertook appropriate follow‑up searches and found the previously overlooked recording; he concluded Potter had not met her burden to show the city failed to perform a reasonable search. The appeal was denied, and a written decision will follow within seven business days; Potter may appeal to district court within 30 calendar days.

Why it matters: The ruling underscores the standard for a "reasonable search" under GRAMA — a requester must show the government entity failed to take reasonable steps to locate records, rather than simply that some records were initially missed.