Arrest log for the past 24 hours (Johnston Police Department)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Rhode Island Access to Public Records Act ("APRA"), I hereby request the following records:

A copy of the arrest log for the past 24 hours, to include the following information at minimum:

1) Full name of the arrested adult;
2) Home address of the arrested adult, unless doing so would identify a crime victim;
3) Year of birth of the arrested adult;
4) Charge or charges;
5) Date of the arrest;
6) Time of the arrest;
7) Gender of the arrested adult;
8) Race of the arrested adult;
9) Name of the arresting officer unless doing so would identify an undercover officer. R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-3.2.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, 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,

Shawn Musgrave

Ms. Bedrosian -

I mailed this request to JPD on July 30 but have yet to receive any confirmation of receipt. Please advise.

Thank you.

Ms. Bedrosian -

I've received the attached documents, as well as your note requesting $1.65 for the current APRA and inquiring into the payment for my previous APRA for arrest records. I will respond regarding the check for the previous APRA separately, so as not to confuse the two requests.

The attached documents do not fulfill my request for information regarding arrested adults. Again, per my request of July 30, 2014, I requested:

"A copy of the arrest log for the past 24 hours, to include the following information at minimum:

1) Full name of the arrested adult;
2) Home address of the arrested adult, unless doing so would identify a crime victim;
3) Year of birth of the arrested adult;
4) Charge or charges;
5) Date of the arrest;
6) Time of the arrest;
7) Gender of the arrested adult;
8) Race of the arrested adult;
9) Name of the arresting officer unless doing so would identify an undercover officer. R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-3.2."

The documents sent by JPD seem to be a dispatch log for a 24-hour period, which includes some of the requested information but not all. In particular, for arrests indicated on the log, the following information is not included:

-Year of birth of the arrested adult
-Gender of the arrested adult
-Race of the arrested adult

The above information is required to be released by the APRA reforms of 2012. To fulfill my request, please send documentation that includes this information for arrests over this particular 24-hour period.

If you are ever having issues with getting emails to go through, please send inquiries to requests at muckrock dot com. Thank you.

Thank you,
Shawn

Hello,

I just left a voicemail but will not be available by phone the rest of the afternoon. Can we sort things out by email, or arrange a time to speak by phone tomorrow?

-Shawn

Thanks for speaking just now. Looking forward to receiving the arrest records you mentioned.

Best,
Shawn

Hi Kathy,

I've received the arrest report you provided, as well as your note and request for $0.30.

Before I drop a check in the mail, I must note that your response to this APRA request is incomplete. You've indicated in the note that you attached that there remaining arrests for the 24 hour period I requested which are "still open investigations."

Regarding basic arrest information, the APRA is clear: "reports reflecting the initial arrest of an adult and the charge or charges brought against an adult shall be public." I requested basic arrest information as specifically outlined in SECTION 38-2-3.2, "Arrest logs" -- this information must be released under APRA.

See: http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/title38/38-2/38-2-3.2.HTM

Please provide arrest log information for the remaining adults arrested for the 24 hours I indicated.

Respectfully,
Shawn