New York City, NY Police Department Drone Documents

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the New York State Freedom of Information Law (1977 N.Y. Laws ch. 933), I hereby request the following records:

1. any requests for proposals, proposals submitted by vendors, contracts, budgets or cost allocations for the purchase and/or use of aerial drones, UAs, UAVs, and UASs (hereinafter “drones”);

2. any policies, guidelines, manuals and/or instructions on department use of drones, including on the legal process required (such as a warrant or court order), if any, before operating a drone;

3. any departmental records concerning this department’s use of drones now or plans to use drones in the future including:

a. the types of investigations or instances in which this department is using or plans to use drones, or how it plans to support, manage or oversee the usage of drones by another department or office;

b. policies, guidelines, manuals and/or instructions on storage requirements or procedures for video or static images obtained through use of drones, including retention times;

c. the altitude at which drones can or do fly;

d. drones’ ability to carry weapons.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. 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 fees cannot be waived, 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,

Shawn Musgrave

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 16, 2012. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 16, 2012. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 16, 2012. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 14, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 14, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 14, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.

Thank you for your help.

Jonathan David
Records Access Appeal Officer
New York City Police Department
One Police Plaza - Room 1406
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10038-1497

May 17, 2013

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to appeal the determination on File-2013PL-0448 (all correspondence attached), in which Lt. Mantellino determined that releasing documents related to UAVs would be an invasion of personal privacy. No aspect of my request touches on documents likely to infringe personal privacy, and I find it unlikely that any responsive documents could not be adequately redacted so as to protect individuals. Please reprocess my request with a particular focus on:

(i) Policies or protocols developed by NYPD concerning use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned aerial systems (UAS) or "drones";
(ii) Email communications with manufacturers of the above named equipment/systems;
(iii) Any contracts, budget allocations, grant applications or similar documents outlining expenditures on the above named equipment/systems.

Thank you for your attention and prompt assistance with this request.

Best,

Shawn Musgrave