I've been on the receiving end of some of this at some point in my life and I'm happy to report that suing the government (to be specific, the Queen) in NL actually works and you can win.
It will cost you some money and some time but given a good lawyer it is definitely possible to hold government officials accountable.
That being said, if anyone wants a New York FOIL attorney, particularly if you're dealing with a stubborn NYC bureaucracy like the NYPD, I can recommend the firm Rankin & Taylor: http://drmtlaw.com
It will cost you some money and some time but given a good lawyer it is definitely possible to hold government officials accountable.