Modesto, CA PD Citizen Complaints
Submitted | Aug. 14, 2017 |
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Communications
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the California Public Records Act (California Government Code §§ 6250), I hereby request the following records:
We are Economics Professors in the College of Business at Ferris State University, and are engaged in an empirical research project on police behavior and citizen complaints. This project requires us to request data from your department. If you have questions about this request or suggestions, we would be happy to discuss them with you.
1. What is the total number of citizen complaints (allegations of misconduct) made against your department’s officers annually for the last 10 years? If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead.
Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of force, abuse language, unwarranted search) and the result of complaint (i.e., sustained, exonerated).
2. What is the total number of complaints police officers made against their peer officers in department annually for the last 10 years? If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead.
Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of force, abuse language, unwarranted search) and the result of complaint (i.e., sustained, exonerated).
3. What is the annual number of officers involved in shootings in your department for the past 10 years? Any documentation or reports that detail the annual number of officer-involved shootings in your department for the past 10 years would be sufficient.
Please include documentation regarding how many of these officer-involved shootings involved disciplinary action. (Please list officer firearm discharge directed at a person separately from a shooting involving an animal and separately from accidental firearm discharges).
Please include the number of officer-involved shootings resulting in discipline.
4. Which of the above data are published publicly? Please provide a link to any and all publicly available reports containing the data above.
Collecting this information is very important to our research, so we would like to emphasize, if you have questions about my request or suggestions, we would be happy to discuss them with you.
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,
Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 14, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Dana Sanchez
Dear Mr. Cartwright and Ms. Dirmeyer:
This email is in response to your written request for public records received by the City on August 15, 2017. We are treating your request as a request for public records in accordance with California Government Code Section 6250 and following (the California Public Records Act, or "the Act"). The Act requires that public agencies make reasonably identified, non-exempt public records available for inspection or provide copies upon payment of the direct costs of duplication.
This email satisfies the City's requirement to notify you within ten (10) days whether the requested records will be disclosed. (Gov. Code 6253(c).) At this time we would like to inform you that a 14-day extension is necessary under Gov. Code section 6253(c)(1) The City has the need:
* To search for and collect the requested records from field facilities or other establishments separate from the office processing the request;
You will again be contacted regarding this request on or before September 8, 2017.
Sincerely,
Dana Sanchez
Administrative Office Assistant III (Confidential)
City Clerk's Office
1010 10th Street. Suite 6600
Modesto, CA. 95354
(209) 577-5396
dasanchez@modestogov.com<mailto:dasanchez@modestogov.com>
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From: Heidi Jenkins
Please see attached letter.
Heidi D. Jenkins
Police Civilian Supervisor
Modesto Police Department, Records Unit
(209) 342-6181, jenkinsh@modestopd.com
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following California Public Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 14, 2017. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on Sept. 8, 2017. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Dawn Perez
Dear Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer,
The following in in response to your Public Records Act request of August 14, 2017. This response shall satisfy the City of Modesto's response to your request. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the City of Modesto, City Clerk's Office.
The request is asking for data going back 10 years, however, our records are only kept for 5 years.
1. What is the total number of citizen complaints (allegations of misconduct) made against your department's officers annually for the last 10 years? If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead.
Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of force, abuse language, unwarranted search) and the result of complaint (i.e., sustained, exonerated).
See attached report titled Citizen Complaints Statistics 2012 - 2017.
2. What is the total number of complaints police officers made against their peer officers in department annually for the last 10 years? If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead.
Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of force, abuse language, unwarranted search) and the result of complaint (i.e., sustained, exonerated).
The data requested is not currently tracked.
3. What is the annual number of officers involved in shootings in your department for the past 10 years? Any documentation or reports that detail the annual number of officer-involved shootings in your department for the past 10 years would be sufficient.
Please include documentation regarding how many of these officer-involved shootings involved disciplinary action. (Please list officer firearm discharge directed at a person separately from a shooting involving an animal and separately from accidental firearm discharges).
Please include the number of officer-involved shootings resulting in discipline.
See attached report titled Firearm Discharge Statistics 2012 - 2017.
4. Which of the above data are published publicly? Please provide a link to any and all publicly available reports containing the data above.
Collecting this information is very important to our research, so we would like to emphasize, if you have questions about my request or suggestions, we would be happy to discuss them with you.
The data requested is not published publicly. The Modesto Police Departments annual report is published on the City of Modesto's website, however, does not capture Citizen Complaints or Officer Involved Shootings.
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Hello,
Thank you very much for the update. Thank you for accommodating our request. I look forward to receiving the data.
Respectfully,
Alex Cartwright
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
I am writing to follow up on my original request made on 8/14/17.
Thank you very much for providing the information we requested. I am writing to ask for some clarification regarding the data on officer-involved shootings you provided us with. What constitutes an officer-involved shooting in your department? For example, some departments do not count misses while others count all discharges; some include shots at animals. Other departments include intentional and accidental shootings; others do not. Some include all discharges and some exclude missed shots. Please explain to us how your department classifies the OIS included in the numbers you sent to us.
Very Respectfully, Alex Cartwright
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following request, copied below. 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:
Good Afternoon, this is in response to your request for follow-up information after your original public records act request.
For clarification on our reporting, the IA report generated shows all "FD" (Firearms Discharge) case numbers that were pulled each year. Those include all firearms discharges including dog shoots. It was hand written on each report how many of those were dog shoots and how many were officer involved shootings. Our department classifies an officer involved shooting as anytime a firearm is discharged whether a subject is injured or not, excluding accidental discharges during training.
Heidi D. Jenkins
Police Civilian Supervisor
Modesto Police Department, Training Unit
(209) 342-6147, jenkinsh@modestopd.com<mailto:jenkinsh@modestopd.com>
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From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Hi,
Thanks so much for your help with this request! I really appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
From: Modesto Police Department
What exactly are you asking? I provided the follow-up information on 6/27. Is there a new follow-up?
Heidi D. Jenkins
Police Civilian Supervisor
Modesto Police Department, Training Unit
(209) 342-6147, jenkinsh@modestopd.com<mailto:jenkinsh@modestopd.com>
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From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
No additional follow up needed. Thank you.
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 Aug. 14, 2017. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on Sept. 8, 2017. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Modesto Police Department
Further clarification is needed. It looks like this was answered and when I asked for clarification below the response was “no additional follow-up needed”. What is that you’re asking for today? I am no longer in the position of Custodian of Records and your new request needs to be forwarded to Pamela Gallagher.
From:
Good afternoon,
It appears that your request for a follow-up to your public records request from 2017 may have been sent in error. As indicated in the correspondence below, the City provided all responsive records to your request. The request was closed and there are no outstanding records. Please let us know if we can assist anything further.
Sincerely,
John P. Fukasawa
Deputy City Attorney
City Attorney's Office
1010 10th Street, Suite 6300
Modesto, CA 95354
Tel: (209) 577-5284 Fax: (209) 544-8260
jfukasawa@modestogov.com<mailto:jfukasawa@modestogov.com>
Effective Responsive & Transparent Government
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