SLMPD complaints and use of force
| Submitted | Jan. 24, 2018 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Samuel Sinyangwe
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Missouri Sunshine Law and the Missouri Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:
The disposition of all investigations into:
Use of force incidents reported by St. Louis police since 2010;
Civilian complaints made against St. Louis police since 2010;
This includes the case number and any information as to whether each individual case was sustained or not and what discipline, if any, was imposed as a result. Each case should be individually identifiable, not combined into aggregate statistics.
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,
Samuel Sinyangwe
From: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Samuel,
Your Sunshine Law request has been received and will be forward for further review.
Thanks
Barbara
From: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Samuel,
"The City of St. Louis, Police Division ("PD") acknowledges your request submitted on January 25, 2018. Section 610.021(3) and (13), RSMo and St. Louis City Ordinance No. 61952 states individually identifiable personnel records are closed.
Please be advised that the PD is an investigation agency and would not have records of case disposition. We suggest you redirect your question to the Custodian of Records for the 22nd Judicial Courts.
Employee Misconduct Reports ("EMR") that do not implicate criminal conducted are closed records pursuant to Section 610.021(3) and (13), RSMo and St. Louis City Ordinance 61952. [Please see Farber v. Metropolitan Police Department of the City of St. Louis, Case No. 1022-CC05285, April 4, 2017 Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, Order and Judgement; Laut v. City of Arnold, 417 S.W.3d 315 (Mo.App.E.D.2013)].
EMRs that do not fall within the above provision can be provided to you, at no cost, for the years 2010-2016. If you would like the subsequent year (2017) in its entirety, a cost estimation can be provided to obtain the data.
Please advise which portion of the request you would like to proceed with. Otherwise, if the PD does not receive a response within 30 days, we will consider the matter closed."
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara
From: Samuel Sinyangwe
Hi Barbara,
Please provide all of the aspects of my request that are considered public record from 2010-2016. Furthermore, if case disposition information cannot be provided individually, please provide aggregate statistics of the following information in addition to what is requested above:
1. The total number of complaints by year and breakdowns for the number sustained, unsustained, exonerated, etc (categories for all the types of dispositions) and for the number and type of discipline imposed
2. breakdowns of all of the statistics in #1 by the race of the complainant (for example, the number of complaints sustained involving black complainants, white complainants, etc.)
Thanks,
Sam
From: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Samuel,
Your amended request has been received and will be forward for further review.
Thanks
Barbara
From: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Samuel,
"The City of St. Louis, Police Division is providing you the completed assessment of open employee misconduct reports ("EMR") from 2010-2016 per your request. Per your original request, your since amended request stated you no longer were seeking open EMR records from 2017. There is a partial open EMR record from 2017 being provided from September 15, 2017 to November 21, 2017. Fees for these records are being waived at this time.
The Police Division is currently in contact with the appropriate departments for the generalized statistics you seek below:
1. The total number of complaints by year and breakdowns for the number sustained, not sustained, exonerated, etc (categories for all the types of dispositions) and for the number and type of discipline imposed
2. breakdowns of all of the statistics in #1 by the race of the complainant (for example, the number of complaints sustained involving black complainants, white complainants, etc.)
Please allow Police Division staff an additional 30 days to locate a produce the requested records. To fulfill this portion of the request, please be advised that additional cost can incur and you will be updated accordingly."
Thanks
Barbara
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Re__Missouri_Sunshine_Law_Request__SLMPD_complaints_and_use_of_force
From: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Samuel,
"The City of St. Louis, Police Division ("PD") is responding to your amended Sunshine Law request. Please be advised of the following:
1. The total number of complaints by year and breakdowns for the number sustained, not sustained, exonerated, etc (categories for all the types of dispositions) and for the number and type of discipline imposed - This will take PD Staff two hours to complete, at an hourly rate of $17.55 ($35.10 total).
2. breakdowns of all of the statistics in #1 by the race of the complainant (for example, the number of complaints sustained involving black complainants, white complainants, etc.) - The PD does not have responsive records.
Acceptable forms of payment are money order or cash. Personal checks are not accepted. Please submit payment to the following address or in person at:
City of St. Louis
Police Division, ATTN: Media
1915 Olive Street, 7th Floor
St. Louis, MO 63103
If the PD does not receive a response within 30 days, we will consider the matter closed."
Thanks
Barbara
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Re__Missouri_Sunshine_Law_Request__SLMPD_complaints_and_use_of_force
From: Samuel Sinyangwe
To Whom It May Concern:
Please find enclosed a check for $35.10 to satisfy the fee associated with the attached public records request.
Thank you.
From: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
"Mr. Sinyangwe,
The following data sets are being provided to you regarding total number of complaints by year (2010-2016).
The Police Division will now consider the matter closed. "
Respectfully submitted,
Thanks
Barbara
From: Samuel Sinyangwe
Hi, thanks for sending these documents. After reviewing, I noticed that there are fewer complaints included in these documents than the total number of allegations made (which is referenced in the IAD files provided). For example, in 2015 the IAD file says there were 210 total charges made against officers while the complaints file only includes 59 allegations. What accounts for this discrepancy? Which allegations are not included in the complaints files and why?
Thanks,
Sam
From: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Sam,
Will forward your inquiry for a response.
Thanks
Barbara
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following The Missouri Sunshine Law request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2018. 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: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Sam,
Will forward your request for additional information.
Thanks
Barbara
From: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Sam,
Per our Records Division -
Mr. Sinyangwe,
I am sorry for the confusion, but would you explain exactly what you are looking for? Are you following up on a request submitted on January 24, 2018?
Thank you,
Barbara
From: Samuel Sinyangwe
Hi Barbara,
I'm looking for the remaining civilian complaints allegations that I requested but were not included in the data provided. For example, in 2015 the IAD file you sent me says there were 210 total charges made against officers in 2015 but the complaints file you sent only includes 59 allegations for that year. So for this year and the other years requested (2010-16) I am requesting all allegations made against officers.
-Sam
From: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Sam,
Your request has been received and will be forward for further processing.
Thanks
Barbara
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following The Missouri Sunshine Law request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2018. 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: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Sam,
Your status update request will be forward for review.
Thanks
Barbara
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following The Missouri Sunshine Law request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2018. 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: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Sam,
I will forward for request for status update.
Thanks
Barbara
From: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Per our Records Division -
Mr. Sinyangwe,
We have provided the records that were responsive and open. The Police Division declines to answer further questions.
Thank you,
Barbara
From: Samuel Sinyangwe
Hi Barbara,
What's the reason so many of the records of allegations were not considered responsive/open?
-Sam
From: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Per our Records Division -
Mr. Sinyangwe,
EMRs that are initiated internally by an employee and prepared exclusively for disciplinary purposes are closed under 610.021(3). EMRs that are initiated by a citizen or allege criminal misconduct are open under 610.100.2(1). The Police Division considers this matter closed.
Thank you,
Barbara
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