Sustained findings since 2017 (Internal Affairs Department Of The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office)
| Multi Request | Sustained findings since 2017 |
| Submitted | Nov. 14, 2022 |
| Due | Nov. 18, 2022 |
| Est. Completion | March 6, 2023 |
MuckRock users can file, duplicate, track, and share public records requests like this one. Learn more.
Communications
From: Ananya Tiwari
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Georgia Open Records Act, I hereby request the following records:
Under the Georgia Open Records Act § 50.18.70 et seq.,I am requesting copies of records related to cases of sustained findings of police misconduct at the Internal Affairs Department of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, between 2017 and 2022. This includes, but is not limited to, documents, reports, multimedia, body-worn camera footage, arrest filings, and so on. It also includes all documents, notes, correspondence and memoranda evidencing sustained findings reports and investigations, and all communication and correspondence in whatever tangible medium between the officials, the victims and the overseeing agency.
I am requesting digital copies of all responsive documents.
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.
Here, misconduct includes, but is not limited to:
Excessive (unreasonable) force – beatings, manhandling of people in handcuffs, improper use of Tasers, injuries inflicted by police dogs, improper use of deadly force, and other police brutality or disregard for the safety of suspects. It also includes, but is not limited to: physical and verbal abuse, restraints happening unreasonably, coerced or forced confessions, and sexual abuse and assault.
False arrests – pulling over, detention, questioning and searches conducted without any probable cause whatsoever, including cases of planted evidence, racial profiling and trumped-up charges of resisting arrest.
Georgia law clearly provides that, except as otherwise specifically provided, “All public records … shall be open for a personal inspection by any citizen of this state at a reasonable time and place; and those in charge of such records shall not refuse this privilege to any citizen.” O.C.G.A. Moreover, investigative records of a government agency relating to the suspension, firing, or investigation of complaints against a public employee are subject to the Act’s disclosure requirements 10 days after the investigative record is submitted to the agency for action or the investigation is otherwise concluded or terminated.
If this request is denied in whole or in part, we ask that you cite in writing the specific statutory exemption upon which you have relied, as required by law. We also ask that you release all separate portions of otherwise exempt material. Please waive any costs associated with this request, or first inform us about such costs as required by Georgia law.
As you know, the Act requires a response by you within three business days of your receipt of this letter and provides sanctions for non-compliance. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 415-769-8210 or ananyatiwarijournalism@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Ananya Tiwari
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 3 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Ananya Tiwari
From: Internal Affairs Department Of The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office
I have forwarded your request to our public information office. Please let me know if they don’t respond to you. In the future the best email address for requests is pio@augustaga.gov<mailto:pio@augustaga.gov>
Capt. Glen Rahn
Office of Professional Standards and Training
Internal Affairs/PIO
Richmond County Sheriff’s Office
400 Walton Way
Augusta, GA 30901
(706) 821-1604 (Office)
[cid:image001.png@01D8F8EB.8D13AEB0]
-
image001
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Dilcia Mercedes
Thank you for forwarding our request. Unfortunately, I do not believe they responded to our request.
If they did - please mention that they should send the response to dilcia19@stanford.edu.
If they did not, please mention the same either way.
And if you have a phone number for them, I can call them directly when I need to check in on the status of the request.
Thank you!
From: Internal Affairs Department Of The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office
The Richmond County Sheriff's Office has received your Open Records Request for the following:
"...copies of records related to cases of sustained findings of police misconduct at the Internal Affairs Department of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, between 2017 and 2022. This includes, but is not limited to, documents, reports, multimedia, body-worn camera footage, arrest filings, and so on. It also includes all documents, notes, correspondence and memoranda evidencing sustained findings reports and investigations, and all communication and correspondence in whatever tangible medium between the officials, the victims and the overseeing agency."
Upon conducting a search of our records, we have multiple records available for release. As this request includes the term "to include, but not limited to", the results include disciplinary actions which resulted in terminations, suspensions, probation, written counseling or warnings. The results also include complaints with a disposition of "Sustained". This returned hundreds of results over a five year period.
Given the amount of material to include documents, video footage etc. to be reviewed for redaction (if necessary), our office estimates it would take 80-120 hours (2-3 weeks) to compile these records ($18.00 per hour (the hourly salary of the lowest paid person capable of completing the task)). The estimated cost associated with your request is $1440.00 - $2160.00 (O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 et al financial fee guidelines). This is an estimate only and the final cost is subject to change. If the final cost exceeds the estimate, you will be notified for pre-approval. To process the request, half of the estimated fee will need to be pre-payed ($1080.00) Once we receive this, we will begin assembling and producing the records. The accepted forms of payment are a Cashier’s Check or Money Order paid to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, 400 Walton Way Augusta, GA 30901.
If you would like to narrow the scope of your request for a more manageable fee, please let me know and we can discuss alternatives.
Sgt. William McCarty
Internal Affairs/Public Information Office
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
706-592-0242
wmccarty@augustaga.gov
From: Dilcia Mercedes
Hi Sgt. McCarty,
Thank you for following up on the records request. I will speak with my team about follow up questions/possibly a narrowed request.
I will be reaching out shortly.
From: Dilcia Mercedes
Hi again Sgt. McCarty,
Thanks for sharing the estimate.
We have a few follow up questions:
How many records can we expect and in what format? For example, are you sharing just documents with us? Are you sharing tabular data? Are you sharing body worn camera footage associated with the cases?
Could you also break down for us where exactly the 80-120 hours is being pulled from
How many hours can we expect for redaction, for reviewing video, files, etc? My organization requires a breakdown of what the exact costs are before we can move forward with payment.
We are interested in narrowing the request down, but would need a case index for cases that fit the criteria.
We'd like to get a bit more specific with what we are asking, but it's difficult to do that without a case index.
Thank you for all your help!
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Dilcia Mercedes
Hi,
Following up because we have not heard back from you about our previous questions. We are interested in working with you to narrow down the request.
Could you send a case index of the cases that fall into the category of: sustained findings of police misconduct at the Internal Affairs Department of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, between 2017 and 2022.
This will help us decide which cases we really need, instead of asking for all of the documents for all of the cases.
Thank you!
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Georgia Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 15, 2022. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on March 6, 2023. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.