Berla (Maryland State Police)
| Tracking # |
PIA# 24-0071 |
| Multi Request | Berla |
| Submitted | Jan. 4, 2024 |
| Est. Completion | Feb. 7, 2024 |
MuckRock users can file, duplicate, track, and share public records requests like this one. Learn more.
Communications
From: Tonya Riley
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Maryland Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
My name is Tonya Riley and I'm a reporter with Bloomberg Law in Washington, D.C.
I am seeking the following records from your agency:
-Any contracts for the use of, training for and access to Berla iVe Vehicle Forensics made with Berla AND/OR Berla Corporation.
-Training materials related to Berla iVe
-Any public safety or privacy impact reports on the use of Berla iVe technology.
Berla is a Maryland-based vehicle forensics technology company based in Maryland. Based on public budget requests and safety reports, I have reason to believe that a contract between your office and Berla exists.
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 calendar days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Tonya Riley
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Maryland Public Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 8, 2024. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Maryland State Police
*RE: PIA# 24-0071* *Requesting: 1)* Any contracts for the
use of, training for and access to Berla iVe Vehicle Forensics made with
Berla AND/OR Berla Corporation
2) Training materials related to Berla iVe
3) Any public safety or privacy impact reports on
the use of Berla iVe technology
Dear Requester:*On January 8, 2024, the Maryland State Police received your
request made under the Public Information Act (Annotated Code of Maryland,
General Provisions Article §§ 4-101 through 4-601) for the information
captioned above.*
*I am writing to advise that it will take us more than 10 working days to
produce the requested records. The delay is due to the time required to
perform a thorough search of our records and to conduct the necessary
review process. Once all of the records have been collected, they must be
reviewed to determine whether they are, in whole or in part, exempt from
disclosure under the Act. If any are to be withheld or redacted, an
explanation will be provided. If there is a fee associated with the
processing of the request, you will receive an itemized invoice.We believe
that we will be able to respond to your request within 30 days of the date
it was received. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any
questions or concerns regarding your request.Sincerely,*
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: MSP PIA -State Police- <msp.pia@maryland.gov>
Date: Mon, Jan 8, 2024 at 10:58 AM
Subject: 24-0071
To: Mark Urbanik -State Police- <mark.urbanik1@maryland.gov>
New PIA
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Mon, Jan 8, 2024 at 6:35 AM
Subject: Maryland Public Information Act Request: Berla (Maryland State
Police)
To: <msp.pia@maryland.gov>
Maryland State Police
PIA Office
1201 Reisterstown Road
Pikesville, MD 21208
January 8, 2024
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Maryland Public Information Act, I hereby request the
following records:
My name is Tonya Riley and I'm a reporter with Bloomberg Law in Washington,
D.C.
I am seeking the following records from your agency:
-Any contracts for the use of, training for and access to Berla iVe Vehicle
Forensics made with Berla AND/OR Berla Corporation.
-Training materials related to Berla iVe
-Any public safety or privacy impact reports on the use of Berla iVe
technology.
Berla is a Maryland-based vehicle forensics technology company based in
Maryland. Based on public budget requests and safety reports, I have reason
to believe that a contract between your office and Berla exists.
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 calendar
days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Tonya Riley
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
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 156644
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.
--
Maryland Department of State Police
Central Records Division
1711 Belmont Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21244
(410) 281-2700 (M)
Website <https://mdsp.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx> | Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/MarylandStatePolice>| Twitter
<https://twitter.com/MDSP>
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Maryland Public Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 8, 2024. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on Feb. 7, 2024. 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 #PIA# 24-0071.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Maryland State Police
RE: PIA# 24-0071
Requesting: 1) Any contracts for the use of, training for and access to
Berla iVe Vehicle Forensics made with Berla AND/OR Berla Corporation
2) Training materials related to Berla iVe
3) Any public safety or privacy impact reports on the
use of Berla iVe technology
Dear Requester:
Per your records request, I've attached all purchase order contracts
related to Berla iVe over the past five years. As you will see, minor
redactions have been made to protect confidential financial information
pursuant to General Provisions Article 4-335. I'm still working on
identifying any training materials and public impact reports that may have
been generated. I'll keep you posted on any progress made, but please
don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
There is no fee being charged for the processing of your request.
Pursuant to GP § 4-362, you are entitled to seek judicial review of this
decision. You also have the option to file a complaint with the Public
Information Act Compliance Board concerning the amount of the fee charged, *see
*GP § 4-1A-01 *et seq.*, and may also refer any concerns about this decision
to the Public Access Ombudsman pursuant to GP § 4-1B-01 *et seq.*
Sincerely,
[image: Changing Maryland for the Better]
*Mark Urbanik*
Director, Analysis & Transparency
Maryland Department of State Police
Headquarters / Planning & Research
1201 Reisterstown Rd
Pikesville, MD 21208
(410) 653-4253(O)
Website <https://mdsp.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx> | Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/MarylandStatePolice>| Twitter
<https://twitter.com/MDSP>
From: Maryland State Police
*RE: PIA# 24-0071Requesting: 1) Training materials
related to Berla iVe 2) Any public safety or privacy
impact reports on the use of Berla iVe technology*
Dear Requester:
This letter is to inform you that I am unable to provide additional records
responsive to your request. I've been advised that any training materials
related to Berla iVe are considered confidential commercial information and
are thereby protected from release pursuant to General Provisions Article
§4-335. Additionally, I've been advised that the Department does not
maintain any relative public safety or privacy reports.
Pursuant to GP § 4-362, you are entitled to seek judicial review of this
decision. You also have the option to file a complaint with the Public
Information Act Compliance Board concerning the amount of the fee charged, *see
*GP § 4-1A-01 *et seq.*, and may also refer any concerns about this decision
to the Public Access Ombudsman pursuant to GP § 4-1B-01 *et seq.*
Having responded to your request, the Maryland State Police now considers
this request to be closed.
Sincerely,
[image: Changing Maryland for the Better]
*Mark Urbanik*
Director, Analysis & Transparency
Maryland Department of State Police
Headquarters / Planning & Research
1201 Reisterstown Rd
Pikesville, MD 21208
(410) 653-4253(O)
Website <https://mdsp.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx> | Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/MarylandStatePolice>| Twitter
<https://twitter.com/MDSP>
Files
pages