Halloween candy dangers: Drugs and weapons (Vermont State Police)

Paxtyn Merten
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 62384
411A Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA 02144-2516
Via Email: requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>

Dear Paxtyn Merten,

I am writing to acknowledge your public records request, received October 16, 2018 and addressed to Adam Silverman, Public Information Officer, Vermont State Police, requesting records since September 1, 2008 pertaining to:

1. All internal communications - including attachments - related to the dangers of Halloween candy, including discussion of marijuana candy and other drug-infused, weapon-infused, or other dangerous or confiscated Halloween candy;

2. All reports of incidents related to drug-infused or weapon-infused Halloween candy;

3. All press releases and other documents, videos, and informational content produced by the agency for the public pertaining to drugged and weapon-infused Halloween candy.

We will respond to your request within three business days of the receipt of the request, by October 19, 2018.

Sincerely,

Grier D. Martin
Public Records Request Specialist
Vermont Department of Public Safety
45 State Drive
Waterbury, VT 05671
Phone: (802) 241-5378
Email: Grier.Martin@vermont.gov<mailto:Grier.Martin@vermont.gov>

The information transmitted by the following e-mail is intended only for the addressee and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this email message is strictly prohibited. If you received this communication in error, please contact us immediately at 802-244-8727 and delete this email from your computer or network system. Thank you.

Paxtyn Merten
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 62384
411A Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA 02144-2516
Via Email: requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>

Dear Paxtyn Merten,

I am writing regarding your public records request, received October 16, 2018 and addressed to Adam Silverman, Public Information Officer, Vermont State Police, requesting records since September 1, 2008 pertaining to:

1. All internal communications - including attachments - related to the dangers of Halloween candy, including discussion of marijuana candy and other drug-infused, weapon-infused, or other dangerous or confiscated Halloween candy;

2. All reports of incidents related to drug-infused or weapon-infused Halloween candy;

3. All press releases and other documents, videos, and informational content produced by the agency for the public pertaining to drugged and weapon-infused Halloween candy.

Because of the need to search for, collect and appropriately examine a voluminous amount of separate and distinct records, the ten business day extension is invoked to process your request. See 1 V.S.A. § 318(b)(5)(B).

The Department intends to respond to your request with all practicable speed, however, depending on the amount of records requiring review, we may need additional time beyond the ten days. If this circumstance arises, we will notify you as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Grier D. Martin
Public Records Request Specialist
Vermont Department of Public Safety
45 State Drive
Waterbury, VT 05671
Phone: (802) 241-5378
Email: Grier.Martin@vermont.gov<mailto:Grier.Martin@vermont.gov>

The information transmitted by the following e-mail is intended only for the addressee and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this email message is strictly prohibited. If you received this communication in error, please contact us immediately at 802-244-8727 and delete this email from your computer or network system. Thank you.

Paxtyn Merten
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 62384
411A Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA 02144-2516
Via Email: requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>

Dear Paxtyn Merten,

I am writing regarding your public records request, received October 16, 2018 and addressed to Adam Silverman, Public Information Officer, Vermont State Police ("VSP"), requesting records since September 1, 2008 pertaining to:

1. All internal communications - including attachments - related to the dangers of Halloween candy, including discussion of marijuana candy and other drug-infused, weapon-infused, or other dangerous or confiscated Halloween candy;

2. All reports of incidents related to drug-infused or weapon-infused Halloween candy;

3. All press releases and other documents, videos, and informational content produced by the agency for the public pertaining to drugged and weapon-infused Halloween candy.

After a diligent search, the Department of Public Safety ("DPS") has not identified any records that fall within the scope of items 2 or 3 above.

Regarding item 1 above, please note that DPS does not maintain records of internal electronic communications prior to 2012. Please also note that conducting a search of all VSP internal communications will take approximately 8.5 hours.

According to the Vermont Public Records Act, "an agency may ...charge and collect the cost of staff time associated with complying with a request for a copy of a public record...the time directly involved in complying with the request [that] exceeds 30 minutes." See 1 V.S.A. § 316(c). The Uniform Fee Schedule for calculating costs, found on the Vermont Secretary of State's website, establishes that after the first 30 minutes involved in physically duplicating a public record, $.33 per minute may be charged for staff time to provide such records. See 1 V.S.A. § 316(d) and the Uniform Fee Schedule at: https://www.sec.state.vt.us/archives-records/certifications-fees/uniform-fee-schedule.aspx

Thank you for requesting the total costs in advance of DPS fulfilling your PRA request. It is the policy of DPS to charge for staff time to produce public records after the first two hours, and therefore DPS would charge for 6.5 hours of staff time involved in producing the requested records, for a total of $128.70.

In order to deal with circumstances such as these, 1 V.S.A. § 318 permits a public agency to ask the requester to narrow the scope of the public records request. Please let us know if you would agree to narrow the scope of your request by narrowing the time frame and/or the scope of your request in item 1.

If you would like us to complete this request as it is, given the estimated time it would take, please forward a check to my attention at the address below for $128.70, made payable to: Vermont Department of Public Safety.

If you have any questions please contact me.

Sincerely,

Grier D. Martin
Public Records Request Specialist
Vermont Department of Public Safety
45 State Drive
Waterbury, VT 05671
Phone: (802) 241-5378
Email: Grier.Martin@vermont.gov<mailto:Grier.Martin@vermont.gov>

The information transmitted by the following e-mail is intended only for the addressee and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this email message is strictly prohibited. If you received this communication in error, please contact us immediately at 802-244-8727 and delete this email from your computer or network system. Thank you.