Request for deaths records (Pierce County)

This is to acknowledge that you have requested access to public records of:

Pierce County Public Records Officer/Ombudsperson

Your request has been given the reference number P011895-070120 for tracking purposes and will be processed by the county department listed above.

You have requested:

To whom it may concern:

This is a request pursuant to the Washington Public Records Act. We are requesting death records dating back to Jan. 1, 2020, with the following information for each case:

- case number
- decedent name
- date of death
- location of death
- race
- ethnicity
- age
- gender
- occupation/industry
- whether injury/infection occurred at work
- incident location (street address, city, state, ZIP where injury/infection occurred)
- incident date
- decedent residence (street address, city, state, ZIP)
- cause(s) of death (indicating if COVID related)
- contributing factors
- any other accessible, non-exempt information contained in electronic case records

This request is part of an ongoing collaboration involving the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford University, the MuckRock Foundation and partner newsrooms across the country. This request is part of a news-gathering process and is intended for educational, not commercial use.

We request expedited processing to the extent possible. This information is critical to the public’s understanding of the coronavirus pandemic and its local impact on public health. Let us know if we can help clarify this request in any way. Please also consider waiving any fees for producing the requested records.

Please provide the data in spreadsheet format as an e-mail attachment.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. We look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

--
Matt Kiefer
John S. Knight Journalism Fellow
Stanford University
312-380-5163‬

Upload documents directly: https://https://www.muckrock.comhttps://www.muckrock.com/

We will provide you with a more detailed response within five business days of receiving your request.

Thank you for using the Public Records Center.

--- Please respond above this line ---
RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of July 01, 2020, Reference # P011895-070120.
July 1, 2020
Dear Matt Kiefer,
In accordance with the Public Records Act, RCW 42.56, this letter acknowledges receipt of your request for records dated July 1, 2020 and received by Public Records Officer/Ombudsperson on July 1, 2020.  Your request asks for the following:
“To whom it may concern:
This is a request pursuant to the Washington Public Records Act. We are requesting death records dating back to Jan. 1, 2020, with the following information for each case:
- case number
- decedent name
- date of death
- location of death
- race
- ethnicity
- age
- gender
- occupation/industry
- whether injury/infection occurred at work
- incident location (street address, city, state, ZIP where injury/infection occurred)
- incident date
- decedent residence (street address, city, state, ZIP)
- cause(s) of death (indicating if COVID related)
- contributing factors
- any other accessible, non-exempt information contained in electronic case records
This request is part of an ongoing collaboration involving the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford University, the Muck Rock Foundation and partner newsrooms across the country. This request is part of a news-gathering process and is intended for educational, not commercial use.
We request expedited processing to the extent possible. This information is critical to the public’s understanding of the coronavirus pandemic and its local impact on public health. Let us know if we can help clarify this request in any way. Please also consider waiving any fees for producing the requested records.
Please provide the data in spreadsheet format as an e-mail attachment.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. We look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.
--
Matt Kiefer
John S. Knight Journalism Fellow
Stanford University
312-380-5163”
Requests for these types of records are handled by the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office . I have designated the public records officer for the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office to conduct a search for responsive records. All future communication regarding this request, including closing your request upon completion, will be provided by the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office. In order to process your request, the records, (to the extent that they exist at all) will have to be located and reviewed. Due to the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, this department is working with reduced staff and limited access to many records. Additionally, this department is currently processing other public record requests; all which vary in complexity, status, production, and volume; in addition to their other assignments. It will take additional time for them to review all the files that may contain records responsive to your request and to determine which records or portions of records, if any, are exempt pursuant to law. Accordingly, we estimate that we will be providing a first installment of records to you by Wednesday, June 15, 2020. If you have any questions, believe we have somehow misunderstood your request or wish to clarify your request, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Sue Wahlberg Pierce County Public Records Officer/Ombudsperson

Attachments:
P011895-070120.pdf (https://u8387778.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=6HtRfOYLt5fXvpttM-2FU1HQ-2BOVyIBfDE-2BQSMj2a2Hktrp31PmaRwUWEUDIOGPnT0EFa4-2BXeTdyG284wiwcteY2A-2FNIus-2FWaoKATjdLqzaO5QOzE4CgYZj1u9n4G8r1Id2J5TkNuFudO1u3UIbxA2r78h3sBt5JGcdBRAUFlf91eN3CNU6CnXrtzuVoT4sVpYALnZ8xyvphe-2FCOFFA6A5hxA-3D-3DuccR_hrRXiubm0f5-2BqwcwCLeDfHkaMyHm9mlwTJ7HkOJEg-2B7gsO3qMFN-2BDWMNosfIE7CdEkDmR4tkK5MARP6WYYUN47SVgvlQY8Gxx8eDMlXc1R4hwUi-2BY5V-2BAwEaAFCwoKpCem299dgMF09XgR5nCcpLV2qnQi-2F8GVAtEZX0hkKVkozL57hGNuKymuvaKFx8ToqC1Z4tnDTk6zwJ-2F1Wl1nlGNQWL8CWDddD1SXfnIHg8f2YLYhaV5ZP70ASWtQsq1Zq2V6zXGQMaaKnGps7K6OEa1gCs5PNl9bWHC-2BFEflbh6r-2BUCvtHev3H3d6RhGzao11RgXfq64WfoQWFJY0iDOgMP6vnm8ZX7TFYiIN7bCwmpUW-2BkKbUcg79fb4PJvXCo6G2nKZ8AEK9iXjtuw3TXPhVMw-3D-3D)

--- Please respond above this line ---
July 1, 2020 Matt Kiefer requests@muckrock.com RE: Request for Access to death records dating back to Jan. 1, 2020. Gov QA assignment number: P011895-070120 Dear Mr. Kiefer; This is in response to your written request for Access to Public Records, dated July 1, 2020 and received in this office via the Public Records Request portal on July 1, 2020. Pursuant to RCW 68.50.105 (see below), reports and records of autopsies or postmortems are confidential and therefore exempt from release under the Public Disclosure Act. The material that you have requested is included within such records and is considered confidential. Therefore, your request is respectfully denied. Respectfully, Angel Tornquist Public Records Officer RCW 68.50.105. Autopsies, postmortems--Reports and records confidential—Exceptions (1) Reports and records of autopsies or postmortems shall be confidential, except that the following persons may examine and obtain copies of any such report or record: The personal representative of the decedent as defined in RCW 11.02.005 , any family member, the attending physician or advanced registered nurse practitioner, the prosecuting attorney or law enforcement agencies having jurisdiction, public health officials, the department of labor and industries in cases in which it has an interest under RCW 68.50.103 , or the secretary of the department of children, youth, and families or his or her designee in cases being reviewed under RCW 74.13.640 . . . . (3) The coroner, the medical examiner, or the attending physician shall, upon request, meet with the family of the decedent to discuss the findings of the autopsy or postmortem. For the purposes of this section, the term “family” means the surviving spouse, state registered domestic partner, or any child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, brother, or sister of the decedent, or any person who was guardian of the decedent at the time of death.  [ 2019 c 470 § 14; 2013 c 295 § 1; 2011 c 61 § 1. Prior: 2007 c 439 § 1; 2007 c 156 § 23; 1987 c 331 § 58; 1985 c 300 § 1; 1977 c 79 § 2; 1953 c 188 § 9. Formerly RCW 68.08.105.]