Savannah, GA PD Citizen Complaints
| Submitted | Aug. 18, 2017 |
| Due | Sept. 7, 2017 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Georgia Open Records Act, 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 3 business 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. 18, 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: James Dale
Good afternoon.
This is in response to your request pursuant to the Georgia Open Records Act, below.
In order to provide context to my response please be aware that O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71(b)(10(A) provides in pertinent part: . . . nothing in this chapter shall require agencies to produce records in response to a request if such records did not exist at the time of the request. . . . In addition O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71(j) provides: No public officer or agency shall be required to prepare new reports, summaries, or compilations not in existence at the time of the request. Finally, this department has only maintained records responsive to your request in a searchable or sortable database as contemplated by O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71(f) since January of 2015.
Responsive records existing at the time of your request and those capable of being created through a database query are attached.
J. Brian Dale
Open Records Supervisor
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department
601 E. 66th St., Ste. 100
Savannah, GA 31405
912-525-3100 (ext. 2817)
912-692-4500 (fax)
jdale@savannahga.gov
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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: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
I am writing to follow up on my original request made on 8/18/17.
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: Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department
Good afternoon. I was directed to provide the attached policy in response to this request.
Brian Dale
Open Records Supervisor
Savannah Police Department
912-691-6237
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Hello Brian,
I have read this entire document and do not see anything about the definition of an officer involved shooting. The document uses OIS several times. I simply need to know how this is defined in your department. You all sent me statistics on this; I am simply asking for the definition behind what is counted and what is not. For example, are accidental discharges included? Only hits or all shots? What about shootings at animals? etc.
Very Respectfully,
-Alex Cartwright
From: Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department
Good morning. You may want to follow up with our public information office regarding the below. I am not a police officer and do not know the answer to your question. My function is merely to locate and provide existing records on request.
Brian Dale
Open Records Supervisor
Savannah Police Department
912-691-6237
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~WRD000
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Can you kindly provide their contact info?
From: Muckrock Staff
Hello,
I have read this entire document and do not see anything about the definition of an officer involved shooting. The document uses OIS several times. I simply need to know how this is defined in your department. You all sent me statistics on this; I am simply asking for the definition behind what is counted and what is not. For example, are accidental discharges included? Only hits or all shots? What about shootings at animals? etc.
Very Respectfully,
-Alex Cartwright
From: Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department
Public Affairs Office
Savannah Police Department
Public Affairs Office
201 Habersham Street
Savannah, GA 31401
912-651-6666
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
I am writing to follow up on my original request made on 8/22/17.
I do not see any clarifying information in your response on 8/10/18.
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
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