Purchase and 'less lethal' deployment records (El Centro Police Deparmtent)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the California Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:

1. Purchase records, invoices, procurement documents and other documents sufficient to show any and all disbursement of public funds for the acquisition by your agency since July 1, 2015 of any of the following:
• Firearms of .50 caliber or greater
• Patrol rifles (as commonly denominated for law enforcement use) or assault rifles (as defined in Sections 30510 and 30515 of the California Penal Code)
• Wheeled vehicles that are built or modified to provide ballistic protection to their occupants, such as Bearcats or armored personnel carriers.
• Projectile launch platforms, such as 40mm projectile launchers, "bean bag" or specialty impact munition ("SIM") weapons, and "riot guns" used to disperse chemical agents
• Long-Range Acoustic Device (LRAD)

2. Purchase records, invoices, procurement documents and other documents sufficient to show any and all disbursement of public funds for the acquisition by your agency since July 1, 2018 of explosives and pyrotechnics, such as "flash bang" grenades and explosive breaching tools, and chemical weapons such as "teargas" and "pepper balls".

3. Records of deployment by your agency since January 1, 2020 of projectile launch platforms, such as 40mm projectile launchers, "bean bag" or specialty impact munition ("SIM") weapons, and "riot guns" used to disperse chemical agents; explosives and pyrotechnics, such as "flashbang" grenades and explosive breaching tools; and chemical weapons such as "teargas" and "pepper balls".

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.

If you would like to discuss this request, please feel free to reach out to me, John Lindsay-Poland, American Friends Service Committee, at 510-282-8983.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

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 calendar days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

John Lindsay-Poland

Re Public Records Act request for purchase records of El Centro PD equipment

Dear Mr. Martel,

I understand. Please just let me know when you expect to have a response.

Thanks in advance.

John Lindsay-Poland

Thank you for the update, and we look forward to receiving that next week. Have a good weekend.

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Good afternoon:

I apologize for the delay. I was out for a few days. I am requesting additional time to comply with your request. I am awaiting information from a sergeant who has been out. Once the information is received, I will forward to you. I should have it by the end of next week. Thank you.

Ruben Martel
Police Records Supervisor
El Centro Police Department
760-335-4665 Office
760-353-7301 Fax

“Never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it…”

Dear Ruben Martel,

You can just attach the documents to this email. Thanks so much.

best,
John

Dear Ruben Martel,

Thank you for following up on this!

Since I submitted this request through a platform (Muckrock), I don't control log-ins, and the platform staff have not responded to our request for a log-in password. However, you can send the requested records to me directly at jlindsay-poland@afsc.org. If you have any questions, you can also reach me by phone at 510-282-8983.

Does that work?

best,
John Lindsay-Poland