Colorado Springs, CO, PD Citizen Complaints
| Submitted | July 20, 2017 |
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Communications
From: Alexander Cartwright
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Colorado Open Records Act, I hereby request the following records:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am an Economics Professor in the College of Business at Ferris State University, and I am engaged in an empirical research project on police behavior and citizen complaints. This project requires me to request data from your department. If you have questions about my request or suggestions, I would be happy to discuss them with you.
1. What is the total number of citizen complaints (allegations of misconduct) made against your department’s officers annually for the last 10 years? If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead.
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? If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead.
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? If your department logs calls for service in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead.
4. What is the annual number of officers involved in shootings in your department for the past 10 years? Any documentation or reports that detail the annual number of officer-involved shootings in your department for the past 10 years would be sufficient.
Please include documentation regarding how many of these officer-involved shootings involved disciplinary action. (Please list officer firearm discharge directed at a person separately from a shooting involving an animal and separately from accidental firearm discharges).
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.
Collecting this information is very important to my research, so I would like to emphasize, if you have questions about my request or suggestions, I would be happy to discuss them with you.
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,
Alexander 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 20, 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: BLACK, Howard Eugene
There will be an expense for this request. Please give me a call at 719-444-7412.
Lt Black
July 20, 2017
Colorado Springs Police Department
705 S Nevada Ave
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Colorado Open Records Act, I hereby request the following records:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am an Economics Professor in the College of Business at Ferris State University, and I am engaged in an empirical research project on police behavior and citizen complaints. This project requires me to request data from your department. If you have questions about my request or suggestions, I would be happy to discuss them with you.
1. What is the total number of citizen complaints (allegations of misconduct) made against your department's officers annually for the last 10 years? If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead.
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? If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead.
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? If your department logs calls for service in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead.
4. What is the annual number of officers involved in shootings in your department for the past 10 years? Any documentation or reports that detail the annual number of officer-involved shootings in your department for the past 10 years would be sufficient.
Please include documentation regarding how many of these officer-involved shootings involved disciplinary action. (Please list officer firearm discharge directed at a person separately from a shooting involving an animal and separately from accidental firearm discharges).
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.
Collecting this information is very important to my research, so I would like to emphasize, if you have questions about my request or suggestions, I would be happy to discuss them with you.
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,
Alexander Cartwright
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Lieutenant Howard Black
Public Affairs Section, PIO
Colorado Springs Police Department
705 South Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
(719) 444-7412
[logo]
From: Alexander Cartwright
Lt. Black,
I appreciate the prompt response. Could you please send me, electronically, the estimated cost for this request?
Respectfully,
Alex Cartwright
From: BLACK, Howard Eugene
Received and working on the estimate.
Lieutenant Howard Black
Public Affairs Section, PIO
Colorado Springs Police Department
705 South Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
(719) 444-7412
[logo]
From: BLACK, Howard Eugene
See below remarks.
Howard
Lieutenant Howard Black
Public Affairs Section, PIO
Colorado Springs Police Department
705 South Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
(719) 444-7412
[logo]
Ok, so I have tried to look this stuff over a little more closely. I am estimating about 8-10 hours to sift and redact officer information. See below for responses to specific questions:
**********
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Hello,
I see that it will take an estimated 10 hours but how much will that cost?
Respectfully,
Alex Cartwright
From: BLACK, Howard Eugene
Alex,
$30 per hour.
Howard
Lieutenant Howard Black
Public Affairs Section, PIO
Colorado Springs Police Department
705 South Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
(719) 444-7412
[logo]
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Could you please send me a breakdown of approximately how many hours it will take to fulfill each part of the request? I ask because I plan on cutting down the request in order to reduce the cost.
How much would it cost to fulfill only numbers 1,2 and 4 of my request?
Thank you very much.
From: BLACK, Howard Eugene
Checking
Lieutenant Howard Black
Public Affairs Section, PIO
Colorado Springs Police Department
705 South Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
(719) 444-7412
[logo]
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 20, 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 20, 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: BLACK, Howard Eugene
1. What is the total number of citizen complaints (allegations of misconduct) made against your department's officers annually for the last 10 years? If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead. Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of force, abuse language, unwarranted search) and the result of complaint (i.e., sustained, exonerated).
Approximately 2 hours of pulling reports?
2. What is the total number of complaints police officers made against their peer officers in department annually for the last 10 years? If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead. Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of force, abuse language, unwarranted search) and the result of complaint (i.e., sustained, exonerated). I am still not sure if I can provide accurate reports for this information. This is something I started to clearly track when I started in the unit but I have to research how this was tracked in past years.
Approximately 2 hours?
4. What is the annual number of officers involved in shootings in your department for the past 10 years? Any documentation or reports that detail the annual number of officer-involved shootings in your department for the past 10 years would be sufficient. Please include documentation regarding how many of these officer-involved shootings involved disciplinary action. (Please list officer firearm discharge directed at a person separately from a shooting involving an animal and separately from accidental firearm discharges). Please include the number of officer-involved shootings resulting in discipline.
I can provide a table showing the shootings (deadly force incidents) that have occurred within the last 10 years. I don’t know that I have any information about shooting at animals prior to 2016. We started capturing that data when we implemented new software in 2016.
Approximately 1 hour.
I am estimating a total estimate 5 hours of work. However, I am in the process of updating several high priority policies and still dealing with CALEA. Even though it is only 5 hours of work, it will take about a month before I can produce everything in releasable format.
Lieutenant Howard Black
Public Affairs Section, PIO
Colorado Springs Police Department
705 South Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
(719) 444-7412
[logo]
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Thank you for the cost estimate. I see a total of 5 hours or $150. Can I send your department a check for $150? Can you please provide payment instructions.
From: BLACK, Howard Eugene
You can send a check via my office, made out to the Colorado Springs Police Department. Please understand this request is one of many and will be accomplished as staff time allows.
Howard
Lieutenant Howard Black
Public Affairs Section, PIO
Colorado Springs Police Department
705 South Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
(719) 444-7412
[logo]
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
Please find enclosed a check for $150.00 to satisfy the fee associated with the attached public records request.
Thank you.
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 20, 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: BLACK, Howard Eugene
Your request has been received and we are in the process of pulling data.
Howard
Lieutenant Howard Black
Public Affairs Section, PIO
Colorado Springs Police Department
705 South Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
(719) 444-7412
[logo]
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on July 20, 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: Colorado Springs Police Department
This is still being worked.
Howard
Lieutenant Howard Black
Public Affairs Section, PIO
Colorado Springs Police Department
705 South Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
(719) 444-7412
[logo]
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Colorado Open Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on July 20, 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: Colorado Springs Police Department
We have gone well over the 5 hours, working an estimated 10-12 hours trying to determine how to extract this information from the database. However, there will be no additional fee.
Here are a couple notes:
1) The year by year spreadsheet is a list of all cases for each year with the disposition of the case, not the individual allegations.
2) The firearm discharge table is for 2016 and 2017. We did not start tracking these with any precision until 2016 when we implemented new software tracking.
3) The request asked for a categorization of complaints. I am unable to easily pull this information in a coherent way. I might be able to pull a list of cases by specific allegations but that will require several hours of additional work to extract and clean for presentation. We do not have a trained analyst that can easily compile this information.
Howard
Lieutenant Howard Black
Public Affairs Section, PIO
Colorado Springs Police Department
705 South Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
(719) 444-7412
[logo]
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Hi,
Thanks so much for your help with this request! I really appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
I am writing to follow up on my original request made on 7/20/17
Thank you very much for providing the information we requested. I am writing to ask for some clarification regarding the data on officer-involved shootings you provided us with. Are these the same as "deadly forced incidents" ? What constitutes an officer-involved shooting in your department? For example, some departments do not count misses while others count all discharges; some include shots at animals. Other departments include intentional and accidental shootings; others do not. Please explain to us how your department classifies the OIS included in the numbers you sent to us.
Very Respectfully, Alex Cartwright
From: Colorado Springs Police Department
Checking
Lieutenant Howard Black
Public Affairs Section, PIO
Colorado Springs Police Department
705 South Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
(719) 444-7412
[logo]
From: Colorado Springs Police Department
Alex –
1. Officer-involved shootings are also considered ‘deadly force incidents’ by CSPD.
2. An officer-involved shooting is any discharge of a firearm by a police officer in an official capacity that is not: a) unintentional/accidental discharges; b) shots fired at an approved target range; and c) shots to dispatch an injured or vicious animal.
Our officer-involved shooting policy and deadly force policies, which should be able to clarify anything I have not, are located at: https://coloradosprings.gov/police-department/page/policies-general-orders-public-interest
Respectfully,
Sgt. J. Koch
CSPD Internal Affairs Section
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image002
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Thank you!
From: Colorado Springs Police Department
Thanks
Howard
sent from my iPhone.