Yes, that is the way that it works. We aren't allowed to request information without cause, though, so if it doesn't relate directly to one of our current cases, we would be in violation of protocol asking for it.
We are allowed to pursue cold cases which would provide us with plenty of material to spin the request legally, but if the results provide conclusively trending data, we'd be required to report it to our superiors.
So we would be looking at a few hours of lead time at most before the Head Auror has to be notified.