Firearm Project, Baltimore County, MD

Hi,

Pursuant to the state’s public records law, I am a journalist requesting access to and copies of data and others records from your agency as part of a national reporting project on the use of stolen firearms in crimes. I have broken the request into three parts, each of which details the records that we are seeking. As expressed below, the date range for each part of this request is January 1, 2010 to the present:

1) Detailed information on stolen guns

It is our understanding that law enforcement agencies keep detailed records about firearms that were reported stolen by the citizens they serve. We are therefore requesting the following for each case of reported firearm theft in your jurisdiction:

-- The police report number and/or incident number for the firearm theft
-- The serial number, make, model, caliber, type and any other descriptive information for each firearm that was reported stolen

If possible, I would be grateful if this data was collated into a spreadsheet where each row represents one firearm. Here is an example:

If a spreadsheet is provided, please provide the record layout and/or code sheet. If such a spreadsheet is not available, please provide any other records that contain this information.

2) Detailed information about seized and/or recovered guns, any guns in evidence, and/or any gun of which the department has taken custody

It is our understanding that law enforcement agencies maintain detailed records about firearms that were used in crimes, found at crimes scenes or other incidents, seized or confiscated during investigations, booked into property or evidence, or otherwise under the custody and control of the department, including the make, model and serial number of each gun.

We are therefore requesting the following records regarding firearms used in crimes, found at crime scenes or other incidents, booked into property or evidence, seized or confiscated during investigations or otherwise recovered or taken in by your agency:

-- The serial number, make and model of each gun
-- The date on which the department recovered, seized or took custody of each gun
-- The police report number for the crime and/or incident involving each gun
-- The type of crime or incident in which each gun was involved (e.g., homicide, robbery, assault, etc.)

Please include firearms for all offense and incident types, including homicide, robbery, assault, traffic stops, etc.

If your agency maintains a spreadsheet or database containing these records, we ask that you please provide that database. I would be grateful if this data was collated into a spreadsheet. If a spreadsheet is provided, please also provide a record layout and/or code sheet. If a spreadsheet or database is not available, please release any other records containing the information we seek.

The date range for this part is also January 1, 2010 to the present.

3) Detailed information on lost, stolen or unaccounted for law enforcement guns

It is our understanding that law enforcement agencies maintain detailed records about firearms that, while owned by the department or under the control and/or in the possession of their employees, went missing, were lost or stolen, or are otherwise unaccounted for.

We therefore requesting any and all records of department firearms that were lost, stolen, went missing or are otherwise unaccounted for. If your department does not issue firearms, then we ask for any and all records of firearms that were lost, stolen, went missing or otherwise became unaccounted for while under the control and/or in the possession of one of your employees or another law enforcement officer. For example, if a thief broke into an officer’s car or house and stole his or her firearm, we would like the report for that theft and any accompanying information. If an audit concluded that firearms were missing from inventory, we could like a copy of that audit. If an officer left a firearm somewhere or lost one somehow, we would like the report for that loss.

The information should include but not be limited to the following:

-- The serial number, make, model and caliber of each firearm
-- The location and address where the firearm was lost or stolen
-- The date of the loss or theft.
-- The date the loss or theft was reported
-- Whether each lost or stolen firearm was recovered
-- If the lost, stolen or missing firearm was recovered, the date and location of the recovery
-- A description of how the firearm was lost, stolen or went missing
-- Whether negligence on the part of the employee is/was suspected in the loss or theft of the firearm
-- Whether the employee in control of the firearm retired, was terminated or otherwise left the department, and if so, the date and circumstances of the employee’s departure and whether his or her gun was retrieved and/or recovered.
-- Any other individual reports and findings on the individual lost, stolen or missing firearms

The records should include but not be limited to audits, inventory reports, databases, internal reports, memos, internal affairs investigations, emails or other correspondence, and/or any other records.

The date range for this part is also January 1, 2010 to the present.

Please label each record in a clear manner. I am a member of the news media, a reporter with The Trace, a 501c3 nonprofit news organization headquartered in New York City. I am making this request through MuckRock’s public records request management service.

We will be making information obtained from this request available to the general public and are not requesting it for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you informed me of the total charges before completing my request. We request that if you send an invoice, you make it out to The Trace.

I would prefer the requested information be sent via an e-mail attachment if available, or a mailed CD-ROM if not. If email is available, you can send any correspondence to me here or at my other email: foia@thetrace.org

If standard mail must be used, we ask that you send the records to the following address:

The Trace
Attn: Brian Freskos
428 Broadway, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10013

Thank you in advance for your help with this request. I look forward to receiving your response. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me on my cell phone: (919) 522-6354

Sincerely,

Brian Freskos
Investigations, The Trace

Thank you Shawn. I would like to modify this request, withdrawing Parts 2 and 3. I am now only requesting Part 1 for the stolen guns. Please advise of the cost.

To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following request, copied below. 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.

Thanks so much for your help with this request! I really appreciate it. Sincerely, Brian