Sheriff data collection request 2022 (Kennebec County Sheriff)

November 27, 2023

Samuel Sinyangwe:

The Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office is in receipt of your FOAA request below. I am not sure how long this will take, some of this information may not be available and there may be a fee that would be required to be paid in advance. If there is a fee required, you will be notified in advance of what the fee would be. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Lt. J. Chris Read

Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office

Law Enforcement

73 Winthrop Street

Augusta, ME 04330

(207)623-3614 ext. 1216

Kennebec County Sheriff
FOAA Office
125 State Street
Augusta, ME 04330
November 24, 2023
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Maine Freedom of Access Act, I hereby request the following records:
1. the total number of use of force incidents in 2022. Please include as part of this a breakdown of how many use of force incidents in 2022 were related to law enforcement operations and how many were related to correctional/custodial operations.

2. the total number of use of force incidents, separated by type of force, in 2022 (for example, information that specifies the number of taser incidents in 2022, baton incidents in 2022, etc.)

3. the total number of civilian complaints against law enforcement that were reported and the total number sustained for 2022.

4. the total number of civilian complaints alleging law enforcement use of excessive force that were reported and the total number sustained for 2022.

5. the total number of civilian complaints alleging biased policing or racial profiling that were reported and the total number sustained for 2022.

6. the total number of civilian complaints alleging criminal conduct that were reported and the total number sustained for 2022.

7. the total number of officer-involved shootings in 2022, both fatal and non-fatal.

8. the total number of people who the sheriff’s department used force against, broken down by race/ethnicity, in 2022.
When available, I would appreciate being sent individualized data for each item in this request in spreadsheet format. If individualized data are unavailable, please send information that includes aggregate statistics for the item instead.

Note that my requests for civilian complaints are specifically for civilian complaints alleging police misconduct, please do not include complaints filed by one officer/the department against another officer.
I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by 1 M.R.S.A. § 408(6). The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, and is not made for commercial usage.
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 5 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Samuel Sinyangwe
View request history, upload responsive documents, and report problems here:
https://www.muckrock.com/
If prompted for a passcode, please enter:
••••••••
Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 154947
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share, and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed (i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.
[https://email.requests.muckrock.com/o/eJwUyUGuxCAIANDT1GUDAmoXHuYXIX9iWjM6vf9k1q9VkRSsYgYoxMgl_FcUcs4ORNaEG9KZXP6Su-WC0Y7wqhEiIUZGEuGyF-JiCejwfIiKbgzT3o-tz9qvR_sc2ncdV5h1mo7Z1sbQ7b7tNF3jR98AAAD__9y7KFQ]

November 30, 2023

Samuel Sinyangwe:

Please see the following break down of the information you have requested from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.

1. The Correctional Facility reported 148 Use of Force reports in 2022. The Law Enforcement Division reported 10 Use of Force reports in 2022.
2. This would require staff to read through each of the reports as our records management system does not have the ability to extract that information.
3. None.
4. None.
5. None.
6. One reported. One sustained.
7. None.
8. This would require staff to read through each of the reports as our records management system does not have the ability to extract that information.

In the event you would like to have the information requested in numbers 2 and 8, this would require staff to read through every report and the estimate is that it would take four hours to complete this task. The State law allows us to charge a rate of $15.00 per hour on a FOAA request for labor cost. It would actually cost us much more; however, that is all I can charge by statute. In the event you would like us to proceed with that request, please let me know and I can forward you an invoice if you like. This would have to be paid in advance before the work would be completed. If you have any questions please let me know.

Lt. J. Chris Read

Kennebec County Sheriff
FOAA Office
125 State Street
Augusta, ME 04330
November 24, 2023
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Maine Freedom of Access Act, I hereby request the following records:
1. the total number of use of force incidents in 2022. Please include as part of this a breakdown of how many use of force incidents in 2022 were related to law enforcement operations and how many were related to correctional/custodial operations.

2. the total number of use of force incidents, separated by type of force, in 2022 (for example, information that specifies the number of taser incidents in 2022, baton incidents in 2022, etc.)

3. the total number of civilian complaints against law enforcement that were reported and the total number sustained for 2022.

4. the total number of civilian complaints alleging law enforcement use of excessive force that were reported and the total number sustained for 2022.

5. the total number of civilian complaints alleging biased policing or racial profiling that were reported and the total number sustained for 2022.

6. the total number of civilian complaints alleging criminal conduct that were reported and the total number sustained for 2022.

7. the total number of officer-involved shootings in 2022, both fatal and non-fatal.

8. the total number of people who the sheriff’s department used force against, broken down by race/ethnicity, in 2022.
When available, I would appreciate being sent individualized data for each item in this request in spreadsheet format. If individualized data are unavailable, please send information that includes aggregate statistics for the item instead.

Note that my requests for civilian complaints are specifically for civilian complaints alleging police misconduct, please do not include complaints filed by one officer/the department against another officer.
I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by 1 M.R.S.A. § 408(6). The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, and is not made for commercial usage.
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 5 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Samuel Sinyangwe
View request history, upload responsive documents, and report problems here:
https://www.muckrock.com/
If prompted for a passcode, please enter:
••••••••
Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 154947
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share, and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed (i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.
[https://email.requests.muckrock.com/o/eJwUyUGuxCAIANDT1GUDAmoXHuYXIX9iWjM6vf9k1q9VkRSsYgYoxMgl_FcUcs4ORNaEG9KZXP6Su-WC0Y7wqhEiIUZGEuGyF-JiCejwfIiKbgzT3o-tz9qvR_sc2ncdV5h1mo7Z1sbQ7b7tNF3jR98AAAD__9y7KFQ]

December 15, 2023

Samuel Sinyangwe:
I did not receive your email indicating that you sent a check until this email today. We will begin processing your request once the check has cleared and will email you the results. I do not have a timeline on how long that will take.

Lt. Read

Good morning,

I expect to have this completed this week.

Lt. Read

January 3, 2024

Samuel Sinyangwe:
Please see the attached excel sheets for the Corrections Division and the Law Enforcement Division.

Lt. J. Chris Read