Police Misconduct Records and Internal Affairs Investigations

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Arizona Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

Tempe Police Department
120 E. 5th Street
Tempe, AZ 85281

To Whom It May Concern:

Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request - Detailed Police Misconduct Records, Internal Affairs Investigations, and Litigation Cases

Pursuant to the Arizona Public Records Law, A.R.S. §§ 39-121 to 39-122 and 39-128, I hereby request the following records:

Reports of alleged excessive force by Tempe Police Department officers from the past five years (2018 to 2023).
Reports of alleged abuse of authority within the Tempe Police Department from the past five years.
Reports of alleged unlawful arrest or search by Tempe Police Department officers from the past five years.
Reports of alleged discrimination by Tempe Police Department officers from the past five years.
Reports of alleged sexual assault by Tempe Police Department officers from the past five years.
Reports of alleged dishonesty within the Tempe Police Department from the past five years.
Completed internal affairs investigations related to the aforementioned misconduct reports.
Any and all findings or documents produced by internal affairs related to the misconduct reports and investigations.
Records of any litigation cases involving the Tempe Police Department related to the aforementioned categories of misconduct, including case numbers, parties involved, and final judgments or settlements.

I want to highlight a few court cases that underscore the importance of public access to such information. The U.S. Supreme Court stated in NLRB v. Robbins Tire Co., 437 U.S. 214 (1978), that the core purpose of the FOIA is to contribute to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government. Furthermore, in Carlson v. Pima County, 141 Ariz. 487 (1984), the Arizona Supreme Court reiterated the significance of the state's public records law for public accountability.

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 10 business days.

Sincerely,

Jordan Lassiter

To Whom It May Concern:

Please find enclosed a check for $5.00 to satisfy the fee associated with the attached public records request.

Thank you.