Sheriff data collection request 2022 (Lewis County Sheriff's Department)

Dear Samuel Sinyangwe, Thank you for your interest in public records of Lewis County, WA.  Your request has been received and is being processed.  Your request was received in this office on November 25, 2023 and given the reference number P011576-112523 for tracking purposes. To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Washington Public Records 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.

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 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Samuel Sinyangwe

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/ Your request will be forwarded to the relevant County 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 Public Records Center.
Lewis County, WA

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Public Disclosure Office
351 NW North Street, Chehalis, WA 98532 RE: PUBLIC RECORDS ACT REQUEST of 11/25/2023, Reference #P011576-112523 Dear Samuel Sinyangwe, Lewis County received a public records request from you on November 25, 2023 directed to Sheriff's Office. You requested the following:
"To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Washington Public Records 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.

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 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Samuel Sinyangwe

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/ I am the person assigned to fulfill your request.  The Public Records Act obliges the County to attend to your request in a manner commensurate with our other duties and obligations. I will be coordinating with other County offices and departments in the collection, review, and production of responsive records. The County will charge requestors per its policy in a manner that is reasonable, cost-efficient, and fair to the requestor.  Such charges will include fees for copying and/or transmitting records.  When a records request is for a large volume of records, the County may elect to provide records on an installment basis. You will not be charged any fees related to this request until you are provided with a cost estimate, either an installment estimate or estimate of the anticipated cost for the full request, whichever is more applicable. You will then have an opportunity to amend or withdraw your request if you wish to avoid paying the accompanying fees. Please look for this cost estimate or a status of our search results on or before December 21, 2023. The County’s policy can be found at: https://lewiscountywa.gov/departments/public-records/public-disclosure-requests/ The costs for records will be determined as follows: Paper Copy Fee                                                                    15 cents / page
Scan Page Fee for Electronic Format                                   10 cents / page
Electronic Delivery Fee                                                          5 cents per every 4 electronic files*
Electronic Records Transmission                                          10 cents / gigabyte
Storage Media / Container / Envelope /                                 Actual Cost
Postage / Delivery Charge For purposes of calculating fees, an electronic “file” shall contain no more than one document and/or e-mail. Please note that documents may be redacted pursuant to and in compliance with RCW 42.56 and other applicable statues when produced. If you would like to withdraw or narrow your request now as a result of this information, please contact my office.  Otherwise, please await the cost estimate.  Conversely, if the County encounters a need to extend our estimate, you will be contacted with a revised estimated date. Thank you for your patience while we process your request. Regards, Casey Mauermann Lewis County Public Disclosure Manager / PRO 360-740-2674

To monitor the progress or update this request please log into the Public Records Center.
If you have never used the Lewis County Public Records Center before, your email address will be your login.  You may choose the "forgot password" option to obtain a password for your use.

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Public Disclosure Office
351 NW North Street, Chehalis, WA 98532 RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of November 25, 2023, Reference # P011576-112523
Dear Samuel Sinyangwe,
Lewis County received a public records request from you on November 25, 2023. You requested the following:
"To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Washington Public Records 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.

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 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Samuel Sinyangwe

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/ The Sheriff's Office has located records responsive to your request. These records have been released to the Lewis County Public Records Center. To access the records login to the Public Records Center to retrieve/download the records.  Please note that documents may be redacted pursuant to and in compliance with RCW 42.56 and other applicable statues when produced. Per our policy, the County is waiving the fees for providing responsive records regarding this particular request since the cost would be less than one dollar.  In the future please be aware, if applicable, the fees for records will be imposed for future requests. Lewis County's Public Records Policy and fee schedule can be found on the County’s website at: https://lewiscountywa.gov/departments/public-records/
The County considers this particular request fulfilled and is now closed. If you believe we have misunderstood your request or the scope of your request, please let us know as soon as possible, as it is our intent to work with you to provide the records you are requesting.
Thank you for your patience while we processed your request.
Sincerely, Casey Mauermann Lewis County Public Disclosure Manager / PRO 360-740-2674 http://lewiscountywa.gov/departments/public-records/

If you have never used the Lewis County Public Records Center before, your email address will be your login.  You may choose the "forgot password" option to obtain a password for your use.