Fusion Center MOUs, MOAs and NDAs (Maine Information and Analysis Center)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Maine Freedom of Access Act, I hereby request the following records:

Copies of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs), Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and other coordination, cooperation, or other resource or information sharing arrangements with federal, state or local agencies, specifically including but not limited to law enforcement agencies.

You may limit the scope of this request to documents generated between January 1, 2012 and the date of the processing of this request. If the most recent agreements (whether active or inactive) predate January 1, 2012, then I request a copy of the most recently applicable document.

I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have previously written about the government and its activities, with some reaching over 100,000 readers in outlets such as Gizmodo, MuckRock, Motherboard, Property of the People, Unicorn Riot, and The Outline, among others. As such, as I have a reasonable expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well established. In addition, I discuss and comment on the files online and make them available through non-profits such as the library Internet Archive and the journalist non-profit MuckRock, disseminating them to a large audience. While my research is not limited to this, a great deal of it, including this, focuses on the activities and attitudes of the government itself. As such, it is not necessary for me to demonstrate the relevance of this particular subject in advance.

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, 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 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,

Emma Best