Midwest Transparency Audit
Because government operates best in the light.
Excelsior Springs, MO Sunshine Request Data
Excelsior Springs Police Department: ALPR Surveillance Infrastructure Audit This page contains the complete digital ledger of public records, statutory correspondence, and financial documentation obtained from the City of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, regarding the procurement, operation, and inter-agency integration of its Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) program, Flock.
Executive Overview: In August 2026, Midwest Transparency Audit initiated a probe into the Excelsior Springs Police Department to determine the extent of its localized vehicular surveillance footprint. The administration immediately responded with an aggressive stonewalling maneuver, claiming the request for standard system exports was "too broad," while simultaneously attempting to invoke a fee schedule that directly violates a Missouri Supreme Court mandate. MWTA has filed a formal statutory objection demanding compliance with state law.
Procurement & Financial Breakdown
The Sunshine Law Battle: Audit Timeline
(Awaiting financial production from Excelsior Springs. This section will be updated upon the city's compliance with the Sunshine Law request.)
The documentation archived below exposes an immediate pattern of administrative delay, coupled with an attempt to illegally charge for legal review and redaction.
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August 19, 2026: Midwest Transparency Audit LLC filed a formal 4-part Sunshine Law request seeking Excelsior Springs' vendor contracts, internal data-retention metrics, private surveillance partnerships, and native SharedNetworks.csv data-sharing matrices.
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August 19, 2026 (The "Too Broad" Dodge): Records Supervisor Jenni Creason responded within hours, claiming the request was "too broad" and demanding specific date ranges, names, and incident numbers. She attached a municipal fee schedule explicitly authorizing a $25 per hour charge for "Review & Redaction Time."
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August 19, 2026 (Statutory Objection): MWTA immediately fired back a formal statutory objection. We dismantled the "too broad" claim by reiterating the exact software file names and date ranges provided in the original request. More importantly, MWTA notified the city that their fee schedule is a facial violation of the Missouri Supreme Court’s binding precedent in Gross v. Parson, which strictly prohibits public governmental bodies from charging requesters for the staff or attorney time spent reviewing or redacting documents. MWTA demanded a compliant response by the expiration of the statutory deadline on August 24, 2026.
Dragnet: Data-Sharing Matrices
(We will populate this exact section with the network scale, export/import numbers, and task force integrations the moment Excelsior Springs complies with state law and surrenders the SharedNetworks.csv file.)
The Current Status (Illegal Fee Dispute): The Excelsior Springs Police Department is currently attempting to suppress public records by weaponizing an illegal fee schedule against the public. MWTA has formally objected to these unauthorized redaction fees and is awaiting the city's capitulation before the expiration of the statutory deadline.