Citizen Complaint Data
| Submitted | July 18, 2017 |
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Communications
From: Alexander Cartwright
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
1. What is the total number of citizen complaints made against your department’s officers annually for the last 10 years?
Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of force, abuse language, unwarranted search) and the result of complaint (i.e., sustained, exonerated).
2. What is the total number of complaints police officers made against their peer officers in department annually for the last 10 years?
Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of force, abuse language, unwarranted search) and the result of complaint (i.e., sustained, exonerated).
3. What is the total number of calls for service your department received annually for the past 10 years?
4. What is the number of officers involved in shootings in your department for the past 10 years?
Please include the number of officer-involved shootings resulting in discipline.
5. Which of the above data are published publicly? Please provide a link to any and all publicly available reports containing the data above.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Alexander Cartwright
From: Monterrosa, Rita
Dear Sir/Madam:
Public information is defined as:
Sec. 552.002. DEFINITION OF PUBLIC INFORMATION; MEDIA CONTAINING PUBLIC INFORMATION. (a) In this chapter, "public information" means information that is written, produced, collected, assembled, or maintained under a law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business:
The request must ask for records or information already in existence. The Act does not require a governmental body to create new information, to do legal research, or to answer any questions.
Respectfully,
Rita Monterrosa
Paralegal | City of Abilene
555 Walnut St., Ste. 208 | Abilene, TX 79604
Phone: 325-676-6251 | Fax: 325-676-6439
CONFIDENTIAL & PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed. This communication may contain material protected by the attorney-client privilege. If you are not the intended recipient or the person responsible for delivering this email to the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this email in error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying of the email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify me at 325-676-6251.
From: Monterrosa, Rita
Dear Sir/Madam:
Public information is defined as:
Sec. 552.002. DEFINITION OF PUBLIC INFORMATION; MEDIA CONTAINING PUBLIC INFORMATION. (a) In this chapter, "public information" means information that is written, produced, collected, assembled, or maintained under a law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business:
The request must ask for records or information already in existence. The Act does not require a governmental body to create new information, to do legal research, or to answer any questions.
Respectfully,
Rita Monterrosa
Paralegal | City of Abilene
555 Walnut St., Ste. 208 | Abilene, TX 79604
Phone: 325-676-6251 | Fax: 325-676-6439
CONFIDENTIAL & PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed. This communication may contain material protected by the attorney-client privilege. If you are not the intended recipient or the person responsible for delivering this email to the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this email in error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying of the email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify me at 325-676-6251.
From: Alexander Cartwright
Hello Mrs. Monterrosa,
Am I to understand you response to mean that the Abilene PD does not keep records of any of the data requested?
Am i correct in understanding that Abilene Texas keeps no records of citizen complaints against police?
Respectfully,
Rita Monterrosa
From: Alexander Cartwright
Hello Mrs. Monterrosa,
Am I to understand you response to mean that the Abilene PD does not keep records of any of the data requested?
Am i correct in understanding that Abilene Texas keeps no records of citizen complaints against police?
Respectfully,
Alex Cartwright
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on July 18, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on July 18, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Monterrosa, Rita
The City of Abilene does not maintain data reports as the requested form.
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
We are Economics Professors in the College of Business at Ferris State University, and are engaged in an empirical research project on police behavior and citizen complaints. This project requires us to request data from your department. If you have questions about this request or suggestions, we would be happy to discuss them with you.
1. The Abilene Police Department's annual report for years 2007-2017.
2. The Abilene Police Department's internal affairs report for years 2007-2017.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Collecting this information is very important to our research, so we would like to emphasize, if you have questions about my request or suggestions, we would be happy to discuss them with you.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Alexander Cartwright
From: Monterrosa, Rita
Mr. Cartwright:
Attached please find the only documents we have responsive to your request. Our records only go back to 2010.
In regards to “internal affairs reports”
“Texas Local Government Section 143.089, Personnel Files as applied through Texas Government Section Code 552.101.
(g) A fire or police department may maintain a personnel file on a fire fighter or police officer employed by the department for the department's use, but the department may not release any information contained in the department file to any agency or person requesting information relating to a fire fighter or police officer. The department shall refer to the director or the director's designee a person or agency that requests information that is maintained in the fire fighter's or police officer's personnel file.”
If you are seeking an internal affairs investigation, please be specific and provide the officer’s name, and we will gladly seek an Attorney General ruling.
Respectfully,
Rita Monterrosa
Paralegal | City of Abilene
555 Walnut St., Ste. 208 | Abilene, TX 79604
Phone: 325-676-6251 | Fax: 325-676-6439
CONFIDENTIAL & PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed. This communication may contain material protected by the attorney-client privilege. If you are not the intended recipient or the person responsible for delivering this email to the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this email in error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying of the email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify me at 325-676-6251.
August 24, 2017
Abilene Texas Police Department
Abilene Police Department
PO Box 174
450 Pecan Street
Abilene, Texas 79604-0174
This is a follow up to a previous request:
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
We are Economics Professors in the College of Business at Ferris State University, and are engaged in an empirical research project on police behavior and citizen complaints. This project requires us to request data from your department. If you have questions about this request or suggestions, we would be happy to discuss them with you.
1. The Abilene Police Department's annual report for years 2007-2017.
2. The Abilene Police Department's internal affairs report for years 2007-2017.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Collecting this information is very important to our research, so we would like to emphasize, if you have questions about my request or suggestions, we would be happy to discuss them with you.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Alexander Cartwright
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