Police Data Collection Request (2021)

Dear Samuel Sinyangwe:
Thank you for your interest in public records of the City of Lakeland. Your request has been received and is being processed.
Your request was received in this office on 10/6/2022 and given the reference number W015781-100622 for tracking purposes.
Records Requested: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Florida Sunshine Law, I hereby request the following records:

1. the total number of use of force incidents, separated by type of force and year used in 2021 (for example, information that specifies the number of taser incidents in 2021, baton incidents in 2021, etc.)

2. the total number of civilian complaints alleging any form of law enforcement misconduct that were reported and the total number sustained in 2021.

3. the total number of civilian complaints alleging law enforcement use of excessive force that were reported and the total number sustained in 2021.

4. the total number of civilian complaints alleging biased policing or racial profiling that were reported and the total number sustained in 2021.

5. the total number of civilian complaints alleging criminal conduct that were reported and the total number sustained in 2021.

6. the total number of officer involved shootings in 2021, both fatal and non-fatal.

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.

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.

Sincerely,

Samuel Sinyangwe

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
Your request will be forwarded to the relevant City department(s) to locate the information you seek and to determine the volume and any costs associated with satisfying your request. You will be contacted about the availability and/or provided with copies of the records in question.

You can monitor the progress of your request at the link below and you'll receive an email when your request has been completed.

Again, thank you for using the Lakeland Public Records Center.
City of Lakeland

--- Please respond above this line ---

Good afternoon,
Confirming receipt of your request. To produce all the information requested, please see the below estimate.
Initial Estimate
Labor: 2.5 hours @ $18.82 per hour = $37.64
(First 30 minutes no charge)
Payment methods excepted are check, credit/debit card, and cash. Check payment may be brought in or mailed to the attention of the Media Relations Unit to address below. Cash or credit/debit card payments can be made at our Records Department, Monday through Friday, 08:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m. The physical and mailing address is: 219 N. Massachusetts Ave., Lakeland, FL 33801.
PLEASE note your request tracking number, W015781-100622, with the payment.
Have a good day.

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Good morning,
Confirming receipt of a check received from your office for payment of the data requested. Once the information is retrieved, I will forward it to you.
Have a great week.
Y. Riley

--- Please respond above this line ---

Good afternoon, Mr. Sinyangwe:
Following up on your request. I have been out of the office for a couple of weeks and have been in and out of training this week. My goal is to have the information to you by next week.
Thank you for your continued patience.
Have a good day.

--- Please respond above this line ---
Good afternoon, Mr. Sinyangwe: The totals you requested are listed below. Thank you very much for your patience! In 2021, there were 110,967 calls for service, and 503 protective action incidents (0.45% of total calls for service). Below is an itemized list of the types of protective action(s) used in the 503 protective action incidents.
1. Total Types of Protective Action(s) Used

a. Empty Hand Control: 208
b. Taser: 106
c. Pointing of a Taser: 39
d. Aerosol Deterrent: 42
e. K-9 Bites: 13
f. Firearm Used: 4
g. Pointing of a Weapon: 130
h. Weapon of Opportunity: 4
2. Other Tracked Action(s)
*Handcuff and Release: 129
*K-9 Deployment (Presence, Not Released, Recalled): 84
3. Total Complaints (Any Misconduct): 15
*Total Sustained: 5
4. Total Complaints (Excessive Force): 2
*Total Sustained: 0

5. Total Complaints (Bias Based Policing/Racial Profiling):  0
6. Total Complaints (Criminal Conduct): 0
7. Total Shootings: 3