Taser and Body Camera Use and Data Retention Policies
| Submitted | April 17, 2018 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Mike Davis
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
This FOIA request seeks any offical policy provided to law enforcement personelle for the use, deployment and maintenance of body camera footage as well as non-lethal weapons usage and deployment logs (audit trail and media).
While we fully expect there to be written policy on record, your department may use a "taser" or "axon" branded system which has the following configuration settings which we also request
as this effectively embodies policy in configuration form:
Pre-Event Buffering
Quality Settings
Camera Audio Recording:
Stealth and Indicator Lights
Recording Status with Front Camera Light
Watermark
Bookmark While Recording
Toggle Camera Audio Recording
Pre-Event Mode Buffering Audio Recording
Axon Signal
Axon View Pairing
Offline Configuration
In the event that a different camera and or non-lethal weapons audit management system is in use, this request is for a sanitized version of thats systems configuration.
I am requesting a waiver of all fees under 5 U.S.C. Section 552(a)(4)(A)(iii). The information I seek is in the public interest because it will contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in my commercial interest.
I believe I meet the criteria for a fee waiver recognized by the U.S. Justice Department - in its policy guidance of April 1987 - and by the federal courts, See Project on Military Procurement v. Department of the Navy, 710 F. Supp. 362 363, 365 (D.C.D. 1989).
Also, the information sought has informative value, or potential for contribution to public understanding. Please note the decision in Elizabeth Eudey v. Central Intelligence Agency, 478 F. Supp. 1175 1176 (D.C.D. 1979) (even a single document has the potential for contributing to public understanding). I plan to disseminate this information to the public at large though muckrock.com and other open sourced
publications.
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, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Mike Davis
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Texas Public Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on April 17, 2018. 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.
From: Houston Police Department
This automatic response is your confirmation that the email you sent was received. Thank you for contacting us.
Our office hours are Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm (excluding holidays).
Please be aware that it will take us approximately 10 business days to respond to you regarding your request. Please submit your request only once by email, fax, US mail or in person.
Did you include your postal mailing address with your request? Please be aware that we do not fax or email responsive documents; you must include your mailing address.
For more information on Public Information requests and the Open Records process, please see the following page of the HPD web site:
http://www.houstontx.gov/police/public_information.htm
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers:
1. How will I be charged? How can I pay for the information?
Answer: If the total amount of your responsive material is less than $5 (five dollars), we will send the information to you by US Mail along with an invoice for the cost. If the total is greater than $5 (five dollars), we will send you an invoice for the material. Once you've paid the invoice, we will send you the responsive documents. If the total will be over $40 (forty dollars), we will send you a cost estimate for your approval before we proceed with the work. If the total will be over $100 (one hundred dollars), we will send you a cost estimate and require a deposit before we proceed with the work. When you are invoiced, please submit payment by check or money order only according to the instructions given in your invoice.
2. Why does it take so long to process my request? Can you expedite my request?
Answer: We have a very small yet extremely dedicated staff working approximately 700 pending requests at any given time. Each Open Records staff member is committed to processing each request as quickly as possible, according to various statutes that govern the release of public information. Requests are assigned in the order in which they are received. Some requests take only a few days to process, while others may take months. In order to be fair to all of our requestors, we are not able to give a higher priority to your request. We do assure you, however, that we will do our best to respond to your request as promptly as possible, while still maintaining accuracy and providing excellent customer service to all of our requestors.
3. Did you receive my request? What is the status of my request?
Answer: If you are receiving this response, then we did receive your request. You may feel free to contact us at the number below if you want to check on the status of your request, but please wait at least 10 business days before calling. It is unlikely that we will be able to process your request in fewer than 10 business days. (Please remember that weekends and holidays do not count as business days.)
Thank you,
Houston Police Department
Office of Planning & Data Governance / Open Records Unit
1200 Travis, 21st floor
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 308-3200 (ask for the Open Records Unit)
hpd.openrecords@houstonpolice.org<mailto:hpd.openrecords@houstonpolice.org>
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Texas Public Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on April 17, 2018. 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.
From: Houston Police Department
This automatic response is your confirmation that the email you sent was received. Thank you for contacting us.
Our office hours are Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm (excluding holidays).
Please be aware that it will take us approximately 10 business days to respond to you regarding your request. Please submit your request only once by email, fax, US mail or in person.
Did you include your postal mailing address with your request? Please be aware that we do not fax or email responsive documents; you must include your mailing address.
For more information on Public Information requests and the Open Records process, please see the following page of the HPD web site:
http://www.houstontx.gov/police/public_information.htm
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers:
1. How will I be charged? How can I pay for the information?
Answer: If the total amount of your responsive material is less than $5 (five dollars), we will send the information to you by US Mail along with an invoice for the cost. If the total is greater than $5 (five dollars), we will send you an invoice for the material. Once you've paid the invoice, we will send you the responsive documents. If the total will be over $40 (forty dollars), we will send you a cost estimate for your approval before we proceed with the work. If the total will be over $100 (one hundred dollars), we will send you a cost estimate and require a deposit before we proceed with the work. When you are invoiced, please submit payment by check or money order only according to the instructions given in your invoice.
2. Why does it take so long to process my request? Can you expedite my request?
Answer: We have a very small yet extremely dedicated staff working approximately 700 pending requests at any given time. Each Open Records staff member is committed to processing each request as quickly as possible, according to various statutes that govern the release of public information. Requests are assigned in the order in which they are received. Some requests take only a few days to process, while others may take months. In order to be fair to all of our requestors, we are not able to give a higher priority to your request. We do assure you, however, that we will do our best to respond to your request as promptly as possible, while still maintaining accuracy and providing excellent customer service to all of our requestors.
3. Did you receive my request? What is the status of my request?
Answer: If you are receiving this response, then we did receive your request. You may feel free to contact us at the number below if you want to check on the status of your request, but please wait at least 10 business days before calling. It is unlikely that we will be able to process your request in fewer than 10 business days. (Please remember that weekends and holidays do not count as business days.)
Thank you,
Houston Police Department
Office of Planning & Data Governance / Open Records Unit
1200 Travis, 21st floor
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 308-3200 (ask for the Open Records Unit)
hpd.openrecords@houstonpolice.org<mailto:hpd.openrecords@houstonpolice.org>
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Texas Public Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on April 17, 2018. 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.
From: Houston Police Department
This automatic response is your confirmation that the email you sent was received. Thank you for contacting us.
Our office hours are Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm (excluding holidays).
Please be aware that it will take us approximately 10 business days to respond to you regarding your request. Please submit your request only once by email, fax, US mail or in person.
Did you include your postal mailing address with your request? Please be aware that we do not fax or email responsive documents; you must include your mailing address.
For more information on Public Information requests and the Open Records process, please see the following page of the HPD web site:
http://www.houstontx.gov/police/public_information.htm
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers:
1. How will I be charged? How can I pay for the information?
Answer: If the total amount of your responsive material is less than $5 (five dollars), we will send the information to you by US Mail along with an invoice for the cost. If the total is greater than $5 (five dollars), we will send you an invoice for the material. Once you've paid the invoice, we will send you the responsive documents. If the total will be over $40 (forty dollars), we will send you a cost estimate for your approval before we proceed with the work. If the total will be over $100 (one hundred dollars), we will send you a cost estimate and require a deposit before we proceed with the work. When you are invoiced, please submit payment by check or money order only according to the instructions given in your invoice.
2. Why does it take so long to process my request? Can you expedite my request?
Answer: We have a very small yet extremely dedicated staff working approximately 700 pending requests at any given time. Each Open Records staff member is committed to processing each request as quickly as possible, according to various statutes that govern the release of public information. Requests are assigned in the order in which they are received. Some requests take only a few days to process, while others may take months. In order to be fair to all of our requestors, we are not able to give a higher priority to your request. We do assure you, however, that we will do our best to respond to your request as promptly as possible, while still maintaining accuracy and providing excellent customer service to all of our requestors.
3. Did you receive my request? What is the status of my request?
Answer: If you are receiving this response, then we did receive your request. You may feel free to contact us at the number below if you want to check on the status of your request, but please wait at least 10 business days before calling. It is unlikely that we will be able to process your request in fewer than 10 business days. (Please remember that weekends and holidays do not count as business days.)
Thank you,
Houston Police Department
Office of Planning & Data Governance / Open Records Unit
1200 Travis, 21st floor
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 308-3200 (ask for the Open Records Unit)
hpd.openrecords@houstonpolice.org<mailto:hpd.openrecords@houstonpolice.org>
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Texas Public Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on April 17, 2018. 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.
From: Houston Police Department
This automatic response is your confirmation that the email you sent was received. Thank you for contacting us.
Our office hours are Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm (excluding holidays).
Please be aware that it will take us approximately 10 business days to respond to you regarding your request. Please submit your request only once by email, fax, US mail or in person.
Did you include your postal mailing address with your request? Please be aware that we do not fax or email responsive documents; you must include your mailing address.
For more information on Public Information requests and the Open Records process, please see the following page of the HPD web site:
http://www.houstontx.gov/police/public_information.htm
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers:
1. How will I be charged? How can I pay for the information?
Answer: If the total amount of your responsive material is less than $5 (five dollars), we will send the information to you by US Mail along with an invoice for the cost. If the total is greater than $5 (five dollars), we will send you an invoice for the material. Once you've paid the invoice, we will send you the responsive documents. If the total will be over $40 (forty dollars), we will send you a cost estimate for your approval before we proceed with the work. If the total will be over $100 (one hundred dollars), we will send you a cost estimate and require a deposit before we proceed with the work. When you are invoiced, please submit payment by check or money order only according to the instructions given in your invoice.
2. Why does it take so long to process my request? Can you expedite my request?
Answer: We have a very small yet extremely dedicated staff working approximately 700 pending requests at any given time. Each Open Records staff member is committed to processing each request as quickly as possible, according to various statutes that govern the release of public information. Requests are assigned in the order in which they are received. Some requests take only a few days to process, while others may take months. In order to be fair to all of our requestors, we are not able to give a higher priority to your request. We do assure you, however, that we will do our best to respond to your request as promptly as possible, while still maintaining accuracy and providing excellent customer service to all of our requestors.
3. Did you receive my request? What is the status of my request?
Answer: If you are receiving this response, then we did receive your request. You may feel free to contact us at the number below if you want to check on the status of your request, but please wait at least 10 business days before calling. It is unlikely that we will be able to process your request in fewer than 10 business days. (Please remember that weekends and holidays do not count as business days.)
Thank you,
Houston Police Department
Office of Planning & Data Governance / Open Records Unit
1200 Travis, 21st floor
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 308-3200 (ask for the Open Records Unit)
hpd.openrecords@houstonpolice.org<mailto:hpd.openrecords@houstonpolice.org>
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Texas Public Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on April 17, 2018. 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.
From: Houston Police Department
This automatic response is your confirmation that the email you sent was received. Thank you for contacting us.
Our office hours are Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm (excluding holidays).
Please be aware that it will take us approximately 10 business days to respond to you regarding your request. Please submit your request only once by email, fax, US mail or in person.
Did you include your postal mailing address with your request? Please be aware that we do not fax or email responsive documents; you must include your mailing address.
For more information on Public Information requests and the Open Records process, please see the following page of the HPD web site:
http://www.houstontx.gov/police/public_information.htm
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers:
1. How will I be charged? How can I pay for the information?
Answer: If the total amount of your responsive material is less than $5 (five dollars), we will send the information to you by US Mail along with an invoice for the cost. If the total is greater than $5 (five dollars), we will send you an invoice for the material. Once you've paid the invoice, we will send you the responsive documents. If the total will be over $40 (forty dollars), we will send you a cost estimate for your approval before we proceed with the work. If the total will be over $100 (one hundred dollars), we will send you a cost estimate and require a deposit before we proceed with the work. When you are invoiced, please submit payment by check or money order only according to the instructions given in your invoice.
2. Why does it take so long to process my request? Can you expedite my request?
Answer: We have a very small yet extremely dedicated staff working approximately 700 pending requests at any given time. Each Open Records staff member is committed to processing each request as quickly as possible, according to various statutes that govern the release of public information. Requests are assigned in the order in which they are received. Some requests take only a few days to process, while others may take months. In order to be fair to all of our requestors, we are not able to give a higher priority to your request. We do assure you, however, that we will do our best to respond to your request as promptly as possible, while still maintaining accuracy and providing excellent customer service to all of our requestors.
3. Did you receive my request? What is the status of my request?
Answer: If you are receiving this response, then we did receive your request. You may feel free to contact us at the number below if you want to check on the status of your request, but please wait at least 10 business days before calling. It is unlikely that we will be able to process your request in fewer than 10 business days. (Please remember that weekends and holidays do not count as business days.)
Thank you,
Houston Police Department
Office of Planning & Data Governance / Open Records Unit
1200 Travis, 21st floor
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 308-3200 (ask for the Open Records Unit)
hpd.openrecords@houstonpolice.org<mailto:hpd.openrecords@houstonpolice.org>
From: Houston Police Department
Good afternoon.
Upon review, this request was closed no response from requestor on 11/9/2018. If you still require this information you will need to resubmit your request.
Thank you,
Open Records Unit - kc
-
~WRD000