Rochester, NY PD Citizen Complaints

Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer filed this request with the Rochester Police Department of Rochester, NY.
Submitted Aug. 17, 2017
Due March 24, 2021
Est. Completion None
Status
Awaiting Response

Communications

From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer

Subject: Freedom of Information Law Request: Rochester, NY PD Citizen Complaints

Email

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:

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.

We have located the Rochester professional stands section of the annual report for 2011-2015. If you can send us that report for 2007-2010 and 2016-2017, then you can omit numbers #1 and #2 of our request.

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 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer

From: Bellucci, Amalia

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Law Request: Rochester, NY PD Citizen Complaints

Email

This message is sent on behalf of James P. Smith.

Greetings:

In order to expedite our searches and responses, and provide better customer service, requests can now be made directly through an online portal at the City of Rochester website.

The online form provides you with instant access to the City’s Records Access Application form, and guides you through the necessary steps to make a request. With each submitted request, you will receive an email receipt letting you know that your request has been received and is being processed. This email will provide you with a reference number that you can use to track your request. You will also be able to create an account that will auto-fill your contact information—a useful feature for frequent requestors.

Please visit www.cityofrochester.gov/FOIL<http://www.cityofrochester.gov/FOIL> to view and use the new online application form.

There is NO FEE for records and responses returned to you via email through this online request system.

Sincerely,

James P. Smith
Records Access Officer
City of Rochester
Bureau of Communications
30 Church Street, Rochester NY 14614

From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer

Subject: RE: New York Freedom of Information Law Request: Rochester, NY PD Citizen Complaints

Email

I am writing to follow up on my original request made on 8/17/17.

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. We requested the total number of annual officer involved shootings each year for the past 10 years.

While you sent us data on officer complaints, the OIS data seems to have been overlooked. Could you please provide that data? If not, could you please clarify that your department does not collect OIS (officer involved shooting) data.

If you are able to provide the data, please define 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. Please explain to us how your department classifies the OIS included in the numbers you sent to us.

Respectfully, -Alex Cartwright

From: Rochester Police Department

Subject: RE: NY FOIL #RR17-02476: Rochester, NY PD Citizen Complaints

Email

Dear Mr. Cartwright,

I do not have the answers you seek. Under the Freedom of Information Law, an agency is only required to provide copies of records, not to conduct research or answer questions. Questions may be answered only to the extent that the documents themselves may provide information relative to the subject matter of the inquiry.

If you wish to request more or different records, please visit www.cityofrochester.gov/FOIL<http://www.cityofrochester.gov/FOIL> to view and use the online application form.

If you wish to appeal the original response, you must do so in writing (please refer to request #RR17-02476) within 30 days by emailing Tim Curtin, Corporation Counsel and Appeals Officer, c/o Meghan McKenna at Meghan.mckenna@cityofrochester.gov<mailto:Meghan.mckenna@cityofrochester.gov> or by mailing your appeal to the following address:

City of Rochester
Corporation Counsel
30 Church Street, 400A
Rochester, NY 14614-1295

Sincerely,
Amalia Bellucci
Communications Aide
Bureau of Communications
30 Church Street, Room 202A
Rochester, NY 14614
585-428-6171 or 585-428-7135
585-428-8841 (fax)

From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer

Subject: RE: New York Freedom of Information Law Request: Rochester, NY PD Citizen Complaints

Email

Ms. Bellucci,

I understand that FOIAs are designed to request specific documents. I am simply requesting documents which contain the information presented in these questions. This is how we are formatting our FOIAs for this research project since departments have many different names for their different reports. The information from you department is very important to include in our research. I humbly ask that you re-consider our request in this light. I am willing to pay for time spent collecting the reports containing this information.

Very Respectfully,
-Alex Cartwright

Files