Long Beach Fire Department's Excited Delirium Responses and Ketamine Purchases (CA)
| Tracking # |
C011196-052721 |
| Submitted | May 23, 2021 |
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Communications
From: Greg Buhl
Dear Long Beach (CA) Fire Department (c/o City Manager),
Pursuant to the California Public Records Act I am requesting the following records:
-Any records in the possession of the Long Beach Fire Department related to it Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division’s response to requests for assistance from the LBPD in dealing with people suffering from “Excited Delirium” and whether sedatives or Ketamine were administered in these cases. These may include call sheets, deployment logs, redacted incident reports, and/or any other such documents that might contain the requested information sufficient to give an overview of the program.
-Any purchase records for sedatives, ketamine, or other drug that may be used to treat excited delirium made by the LBFD for its EMS Division.
Note: After noticing the LBPD had an Excited Delirium policy I filed a PRA for documents related to any incidents where paramedics were called and drugs administered. The LBPD claimed to have no responsive documents, saying LAFD would keep such records.
After I filed my request they redrafted LBPD policy to make it clear that Excited Delirium calls require a dual response where they rely on the LBFD to assess the people hey have in custody.
https://citydocs.longbeach.gov/LBPDPublicDocs/DocView.aspx?id=164386&dbid=0&repo=LBPD-PUBDOCS&cr=1
So now I am asking you for the documents the LBPD indicated you may have regarding incidents LBPD policy dictates you be part of the response to.
Why this is an important issue: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-08-22/ketamine-thats-injected-during-arrests-draws-new-scrutiny
This information is being requested in the public interest, with any documents produced being made available to local journalists.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter in the time frame set out in the CPRA: 10 days, with a 14 day extension if needed.
Greg Buhl
Lead Researcher at CheckLBPD.org
P.S. If this is not the correct avenue to direct this response, could you please "manage" to get it to the correct department. Thanks
From:
Dear Greg Buhl:
Thank you for submitting a request for public records to the City of Long Beach. Pursuant to California Government Code § 6253, staff will review your request and respond within 10 days to notify you if there are responsive records, or if an extension is necessary to determine whether responsive records exist.
If your request was received after business hours or on a weekend or holiday, the next business day will be considered the date of receipt. The 10-day response period starts with the first calendar day after the date of receipt (Ca. Civ. Code, § 10).
You may be contacted by a City staff member if there are questions regarding your request.
Thank you again for contacting the City of Long Beach. You may track the status of your request here in My Request Center. (https://u8387778.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=6HtRfOYLt5fXvpttM-2FU1HcDurMGiLNYvr-2Boygc4L5a26u0UtjTR6S972Zvt8uqpDlU2CoQVXfcRvXvNORK1gvtX6TRv2Kn0FCGG-2FTQ-2F1Iyuxbs-2B2HvjH0-2FOcpp-2BJL-2FjOy6gqZI6pab9ZYCTvt-2BnuAQ-3D-3DfEmU_Kd7s-2B1KV6tPhVVLRE4I1BxzqPVAgiSMnmHNL9Mov-2BU7AvMlbz6uTkwvjHGn-2BKorz4aeqKoD-2BsLwwoDGGtRYhxikzHCdOkUGjo5xk8OdAf-2F-2BwMnfZvAacVPODqxfhA5rOr46pnNkyRHmrGIVcLPUsxZujto-2BfYYb-2FUzFwvErPjTlphwy06tstb2vILO-2FyUaYIt7-2FBttwC6UPG-2FD0WCA20Od3SzcM8BkBeYAbGjkY0bh-2FOUONvHC7kKMyqzw3Ryw2Qdmu1z-2FEQJIMKdHcS42ftl6IE1yW1z6GeaDs4-2FynD9rfs2sv-2Br1WaTAhSQsGOdod1XNtvw4NPlE-2F6fw8mEGLoBrucud1MIaF5y-2F45HutoyEADMgkQQ5nwjwTOAH9UPR2f6wmweNIAY8YpiAmHW9g7Tg-3D-3D)
From: City Manager's Office
--- Please respond above this line ---
RE: Public Records Request Reference Number: C011196-052721
Thank you for submitting your request for public records. Occasionally, we experience a delay in searching for records. Consequently, pursuant to Government Code 6253 (c), the City of Long Beach is extending the time within which to identify responsive documents by fourteen (14) calendar days.
The City will make every effort to provide responsive records in a reasonable time. You will be notified by June 22, 2021 of the following:
* Whether the City has records responsive to your request, and the page count and required payment, if applicable, to produce copies of such records, and/or
* Whether the City has records responsive to your request, but which are exempt from disclosure and the reasons for exemption.
If you have any questions, please contact the Records Coordinator Office at (562) 570-6711.
From: City Manager's Office
--- Please respond above this line ---
RE: Public Records Request Reference Number: C011196-052721
In response to PRA # C011196-052721 received on May 27, 2021, the City of Long Beach has determined that responsive records exist and will be disclosed. City staff is working on compiling and reviewing the appropriate documents and will produce them promptly within a reasonable time frame. Staff will notify you upon producing records if portions of documents will be withheld from disclosure due to exemptions in accordance with law.
Thank you for contacting the City of Long Beach. If you have any questions, please contact the Records Coordinator Office at (562) 570-6711.
From: Greg Buhl
Hello,
Any word on when the responsive records you have will be released. I noticed the city issued a press release on Friday that deals with the topic and includes a small selection of the data I have requested. I'm not sure delaying a CPRA requests, so the city can get ahead of a story, is a permissible reason leave a response pending since May.
The Aug. 20, 2021 press release states "Since the creation of the specific 647V dispatch code in January 2021, an IMR response has been used 137 times; of these incidents, medical intervention using a sedative was used to de-escalate the situation 31% of the time, successfully protecting agitated, combative, or violent individuals from injuring themselves, while also protecting others around them and first responders from injury"
When you do respond to this request, please make sure that the response includes records as far back as they are maintained, and not only for the period since the Dual Response code was developed in October 2020.
Thank you,
Greg Buhl
From: City Manager's Office
--- Please respond above this line ---
Hi Mr. Buhl,
We are simply overwhelmed with work as a whole. I've asked the Fire Department for an update.
Best,
Megan Felix
From: City Manager's Office
--- Please respond above this line ---
Hi Mr. Buhl,
Fire sent the records to me, and I'm sending them to my manager today for final review. Hoping to release the records in a week or two.
Best,
Megan Felix
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following California Public Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on May 23, 2021. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on June 22, 2021. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #C011196-052721.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: City Manager's Office
--- Please respond above this line ---
RE: Public Records Request Reference Number: C011196-052721
Dear Greg Buhl,
In response to your request for public records received on 5/27/2021 9:34:50 PM and tracked as PRA # C011196-052721, the City of Long Beach has produced the appropriate responsive records. The City is withholding some documents or information pursuant to Ca. Govt. Code § 6255(a) (Public interest).
Please click here to log into your account and view/download your responsive records:
PRA Request # C011196-052721 is now closed.
Thank you for contacting the City of Long Beach. If you have any questions, please call (562) 570-6680.
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