Floors, Not Ceilings: When Legal Minimums Become Bureaucratic Maximums

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0600

I recently asked my local police department for a summary of traffic violations involving pedestrians.

Not classified data. Not surveillance footage. Just aggregate statistics—crashes, intersections, patterns. I wanted to understand public safety trends to inform local policy discussions.

Their response? “You’ll need to file a Freedom of Information Act request.”

Not: “Here’s the data, we’re glad someone’s interested in public safety.”

But: “Use the formal legal process designed to force us to comply when we refuse.”

Statutory Interpretation on Acceleration Denied

Floors, Not Ceilings: When Legal Minimums Become Bureaucratic Maximums