Indianapolis, Indiana PD Citizen Complaints

Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer filed this request with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department of Indianapolis, IN.
Due Aug. 15, 2017
Est. Completion None
Status
Awaiting Response

Communications

From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer

To Whom It May Concern:

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

We are Economics Professors in the College of Business at Ferris State University, and are engaged in an empirical research project on police behavior and citizen complaints. This project requires us to request data from your department. If you have questions about this request or suggestions, we would be happy to discuss them with you.

We have your annual report for 2009, but are unable to locate the report for other years. Could you please provide that report for years 20007-2008 and 2010-2017? If the report is not available, we would like to request the following information:

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 our research, so we would like to emphasize, if you have questions about my request or suggestions, we 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 7 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer

From: Coxey, Melissa

I am writing to confirm receipt of your recently submitted request for public records which was received by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department ("IMPD") on August 4, 2017.

IMPD has initiated a search of its public records to identify and collect those records, if any, that are responsive to your request. Upon completion of that task, any records found will be inspected to determine whether they contain any material that by statute shall or may be withheld from public inspection and copying. You will be notified when this has been completed. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Melissa L. Coxey
Legal Advisor
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
City of Indianapolis
200 E. Washington Street, Suite E258
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 327-2710
Melissa.Coxey@indy.gov<mailto:Melissa.Coxey@indy.gov>

From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer

Ms. Coxey,

Thank you for the response. I look forward to receiving the data.

Respectfully,
Alex Cartwright

From: Coxey, Melissa

Good afternoon. You recently contacted the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) requesting records related to IMPD’s Citizen Complaints. Attached please find records responsive to the request. IMPD has no way of identifying peer complaints prior to 2014. IMPD ceased creating Annual Reports in 2009. IMPD is not the custodian of records for calls for service. You will need to direct that request to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Melissa L. Coxey
Legal Advisor
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
City of Indianapolis
200 E. Washington Street, Suite E258
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 327-2710
Melissa.Coxey@indy.gov<mailto:Melissa.Coxey@indy.gov>

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 8/4/17

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. 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. Some include all discharges and some exclude missed shots. Please explain to us how your department classifies the OIS included in the numbers you sent to us.

Very Respectfully, Alex Cartwright

From: Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department

Good afternoon.

For IMPD purposes, officer-involved shootings are: (i) Incidents in which an officer intentionally shoots at (either striking or missing) a person; and, (ii) the accidental shooting of a person by an officer. The destruction of an animal is not considered an officer involved shooting.

Melissa L. Coxey
Legal Advisor
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
City of Indianapolis
200 E. Washington Street, Suite E203
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 327-2710
Melissa.Coxey@indy.gov<mailto:Melissa.Coxey@indy.gov>

From: Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department

Mr. Cartwright:

For our purposes, officer-involved shootings are:
· Incidents in which an officer intentionally shoots at (either striking or missing) a person.
· The accidental shooting of a person by an officer.

The destruction of an animal is not considered an OIS.

Melissa L. Coxey
Legal Advisor
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
City of Indianapolis
200 E. Washington Street, Suite E203
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 327-2710
Melissa.Coxey@indy.gov<mailto:Melissa.Coxey@indy.gov>

From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer

Thank you very much!

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