Facial recognition/false arrest lawsuits

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Maryland Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

1) Copies of any notices of potential legal action (such as an intent to sue letter), formal legal complaints, or comparable documents sent to the department/attorney regarding cases of alleged misidentification by police facial recognition technology since Jan. 1, 2018. This should include notices/complaints regarding civil lawsuits that are open as well as closed. In the event the department does not have the record-keeping capacity to locate cases relating to a category such as police facial recognition false identifications, I ask that you inquire with department employees who would be knowledgeable about such cases in order to identify responsive documents.

2) Any settlement documents relating to cases responsive to the above aspect of this request.

3) A list, database, spreadsheet, or comparable document detailing each false arrest lawsuit brought against the law enforcement department(s) represented by your agency since Jan. 1, 2018, including, where available, the name of the plaintiff, the name of the defendant, the court docket number, date filed, date settled, settlement amount, and any other details available through the department's case management system.

I ask that all fees be waived as I am a journalist and I intend to use the requested records to publish articles in the public interest and not for any commercial purpose.

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 calendar days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Todd Feathers