Darryl Ross Case and Police Report

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Ohio Open Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

I, Curstynn Marks, on the behalf of the Ohio Community Coalition, hereby request the following public records listed below:

- Canton PD Police Report on Darryl Ross from September 18th, 2008.
- CPD Forensics report on the Darryl Ross case.
- The Use of Force report filed in accordance with the Darryl Ross case.
- Coroner Reports on Darryl Ross. The Stark County Coroner's Office did two autopsies on Ross's body.
- Public Record on the law suit filed against CPD/ Canton City. This was filed by Veronica Earley.
- The CPD Prosecution's case.
- The Disciplinary Records of Officer Dills and Officer Riley.

The Ohio Community Coalition is a non-profit organization that works on promoting transparency amongst police policy and conduct within Stark County. We utilize this transparency to educate the public and make PD policy and conduct records more accessible to the public. We also utilize these records in the research and promotion of policing policy reform. We specifically request the case on Darryl Ross due to his death in the hands of CPD and to better understand the circumstances and areas for improvement on preventative measures.

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.

Sincerely,

Ohio Community Coalition

July 20th, 2020

Dear Canton Police Department and the Canton Law Department:

I, Curstynn Marks, on behalf of the Ohio Community Coalition am writing to request information about the status of the records request submitted July 9, 2020, on behalf of the OCC, pursuant to the Ohio Public Records Law. We have not received the requested receipt of the request.

We would note that Ohio Rev. Code 149.43(B)(1) requires the relevant public office to “promptly prepar[e]” the relevant documents. ORC 149.43(B)(7)(1)(a) states that the relevant public office “shall transmit a copy of the public record [by US mail or any other means of delivery] … within a reasonable period of time after receiving the request for the copy.” If the Canton Police Department and Law Department have policy and procedures it follows in complying with ORC 149.43 (B)(7(1)(a), including an estimated time frame, then 149.43(B)(7)(1)(b) requires the relevant department to comply with its policy in performing its duty under 149.43.

Please provide us an estimated timeline for prompt preparation of the requested documents.

Sincerely,

Curstynn Marks

Ohio Community Coalition