Shreveport, LA PD Citizen Complaints

Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer filed this request with the Shreveport Police Department of Shreveport, LA.
Submitted Aug. 17, 2017
Est. Completion None
Status
Fix Required

Communications

From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer

Subject: Louisiana Public Records Act Request: Shreveport, LA PD Citizen Complaints

Email

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the the Louisiana Public 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:

Subject: RE: Louisiana Public Records Law Request: Shreveport, LA PD Citizen Complaints

Email

This request has been filled please stop sending it.

From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer

Subject: RE: Louisiana Public Records Law Request: Shreveport, LA PD Citizen Complaints

Email

Hello,

I'm sorry but I have no record/response from your department. If you have filled the request, can you please simply re-send me the documents?

Respectfully,
-Alex Cartwright

From: Muckrock Staff

Subject: RE: Louisiana Public Records Law Request: Shreveport, LA PD Citizen Complaints

Email

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: Shreveport Police Department

Subject: RE: Louisiana Public Records Law Request: Shreveport, LA PD Citizen Complaints

Email

Received and forwarded for processing.

From:

Subject: PRR

Email

The City of Shreveport objects to your recent Public Records Request
propounded to the Shreveport Police Department because it is too broad,
seeks documents not subject to disclosure, would require an extensive amount
of manpower and cannot be responded to in the manner in which it is phrased.

Your requested time frame of ten years is excessive as some records are not
maintained beyond the time period required by Louisiana law. Internal
Affairs and other records are not maintained in the manner in which you have
requested them.

The Public Records Act, within its framework of protecting public access to
public records, must also be read as protecting the custodians of public
records from overly burdensome requests that interfere with operations of
the custodian's other legal duties. See, e.g., La. R.S. 44:32(A),
44:33(A)(2). The custodian may address these burdens and avoid disruption by
having these activities done using overtime or additional personnel for this
response, with the requesting party responsible for the payment of
reasonable costs incurred by the custodian in accommodating the requesting
party. The custodian may require that these fees be paid in advance. This
doctrine, we believe, includes within its scope the payment of additional
personnel costs that may be incurred to expedite the inspection/copying
process outside of normal business activity. Additionally, The City of
Shreveport cannot produce documents which it cannot reasonably access in the
manner in which they have been requested. Some of the documents you request
are also classified as records containing investigative training information
and techniques and follow up reports for arrests. They may also seek
information relevant to pending or criminal litigation or criminal
litigation which is reasonably anticipated.

We estimate that the efforts necessary to compile and redact
documents that may be responsive to your requests would require numerous
hours, the exact number of which cannot be calculated at this time. Staff
will have to be compensated for that activity, which is ordinarily
accomplished by providing overtime pay or compensatory time to personnel.

If you are able to rephrase your request and limit the scope of the
requested information, a cost estimate can be provided. Pursuant to the
Louisiana Public Records Act, the City will ask that you deposit sums
sufficient to satisfy the necessary fees. If you cannot limit your request,
only an estimate of costs can be provided which will have to be paid in
advance with the balance, if any, paid before any documents can be released.
Upon receipt of instruction as to how you wish to proceed and the payment of
the estimate, the City will undertake the work necessary to fulfill your
request using overtime or compensatory time and provide you with responsive
but non-exempt and redacted documents.

Joseph S. Woodley

318 221 1800

From: Shreveport Police Department

Subject: RE: Louisiana Public Records Law Request: Shreveport, LA PD Citizen Complaints

Email

Please see the response below and reply

Joseph S. Woodley

318 221 1800

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