DHS Communications With Local Police (Metropolitan Police Department)

This is an automated message from the DC Government FOIA system. Dear Matthew Petti, Request Number 2020-FOIA-07457 has been assigned to the request you submitted in relation to: Request description: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the DC Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

All emails between any employee from your agency and any Department of Homeland Security email (*dhs.gov), Immigrations and Customs Enforcement email (*ice.gov), Customs and Border Protection email (*cbp.gov), or Department of Justice email (*justice.gov) sent and/or received from 13 July 2020 to 20 July 2020. Please include any attachments from responsive emails additional to the content. If any part of the records are exempt from public disclosure, please exercise your discretion to release any reasonably segregable portions of the records.

If your agency has multi-track processing for {law name} requests, I would like to request expedited processing for this request. Otherwise, please note that this request concerns information that is in the public interest to disclose as soon as possible.

On 15 July 2020, Federal agents in an unmarked car arrested protesters in Portland, Oregon, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf confirmed to National Public Radio. (https://www.npr.org/2020/07/17/892277592/federal-officers-use-unmarked-vehicles-to-grab-protesters-in-portland). While discussing the incident, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told Fox News on 19 July 2020 that "you’ll see something rolled out this week, as we start to go in and make sure that the communities—whether it’s Chicago or Portland or Milwaukee or someplace across the heartland of the country—we need to make sure their communities are safe." (https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1284906924740423681?)

Therefore, these records will contribute to public understanding of actual or alleged government activities, and there is an urgency to inform the public about the aforementioned activities.

I request that I be properly classified as a news media requester. I am a reporter for the National Interest, and I am requesting this information in that editorial capacity.

The National Interest is widely recognized for its reporting, publishing regular features on issues of public interest and importance. In addition, I have covered areas related to this request, and plan to use my editorial skills to analyze and produce original reporting work for millions of monthly readers at NationalInterest.org.

If you have any questions about my media status, please contact me.

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 15 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Matthew Petti In all future correspondence regarding this request, please reference request number 2020-FOIA-07457. To check for status, please log in  https://foia-dc.gov/palMain.aspx and go to Request Status. For any questions regarding your request, please contact the FOIA office directly. Find the list of agency Open Governement and FOIA contact information by visiting FOIA Contact Information. For ease of reference, we ask that you have your FOIA Request Number available when you contact the FOIA office. (https://dc.gov/node/818962) Regards,
DC Government FOIA Portal Having technical difficulties? Email FOIA.SystemAdmin@dc.gov or call 202-478-5973

Dear Mr. Petti, The Freedom ofInformation Act (FOIA) requires that requests describe the records sought withsufficient detail to allow an agency employee familiar with the subject area ofthe request to locate the records with a reasonable amount of effort. More specifically, 1 DCMR § 402.4 statesthat: A request shall reasonably describe thedesired record(s). In order to move forward with your request, we will needspecific search terms and/or the subject of your request. Your request does notadequately describe the records sought; therefore, we are unable to process itat this time. If you wish to pursue yourrequest, please provide a specific time frame to enable ouroffice to process your request. If we do not receive the clarification required within five (5) businessdays from the date of this letter, we will presume that you are no longerinterested in pursuing your request and consider this a constructive withdrawaland close our file. In the meantime,your request will be placed on hold and the time for our response will notaccrue under 1 DMCR § 405.6. Regards, LatrinaCrumlin StaffAssistant, FOIA MetropolitanPolice Department 300Indiana Avenue, Rm 4153 Washington, DC  20001

Dear Matthew Petti: The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires that requests describe the records sought with sufficient detail to allow an agency employee familiar with the subject area of the request to locate the records with a reasonable amount of effort. More specifically, 1 DCMR § 402.4 states that: A request shall reasonably describe the desired record(s). Where possible, specific information regarding names, places, events, subjects, dates, files, titles, file designation, or other identifying information shall be supplied. Your request does not adequately describe the records sought; therefore, we are unable to process it at this time. If you wish to pursue your request, please provide [NOTE: Describe the additional information required]. If we do not receive your written response clarifying what records you are looking for within five (5) workdays from the date of this letter, we will presume that you are no longer interested in pursuing your request, we will not be able to comply with your request, and we will close our file on it. In the meantime, your request will be placed on hold and the time for our response will not accrue under 1 DMCR § 405.6. Regards, Ms. Branch FOIA Specialist Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Office Metropolitan Police Department 300 Indiana Avenue, NW Room 4153

This is an automated message from the DC Government FOIA system. Dear Matthew Petti, The status for your request is below. Please log into https://foia-dc.gov/palMain.aspx and go to Request Status. If you have any questions regarding the status of your request, please contact the agency's FOIA office that you had submitted your FOIA request to. You can communicate directly with the FOIA office by clicking on Inbox, search the request number, and then click Compose Message. OR, visit to see a list DC Government FOIA Office’s/officer’s contact information and have your Request ID ready. (https://dc.gov/node/818962) Contact FOIA Office Request status: In Process Request ID: 2020-FOIA-07457 Description: To Whom It May Concern:Pursuant to the DC Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:All emails between any employee from your agency and any Department of Homeland Security email (*dhs.gov), Immigrations and Customs Enforcement email (*ice.gov), Customs and Border Protection email (*cbp.gov), or Department of Justice email (*justice.gov) sent and/or received from 13 July 2020 to 20 July 2020. Please include any attachments from responsive emails additional to the content. If any part of the records are exempt from public disclosure, please exercise your discretion to release any reasonably segregable portions of the records.If your agency has multi-track processing for {law name} requests, I would like to request expedited processing for this request. Otherwise, please note that this request concerns information that is in the public interest to disclose as soon as possible.On 15 July 2020, Federal agents in an unmarked car arrested protesters in Portland, Oregon, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf confirmed to National Public Radio. (https://www.npr.org/2020/07/17/892277592/federal-officers-use-unmarked-vehicles-to-grab-protesters-in-portland). While discussing the incident, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told Fox News on 19 July 2020 that "you’ll see something rolled out this week, as we start to go in and make sure that the communities—whether it’s Chicago or Portland or Milwaukee or someplace across the heartland of the country—we need to make sure their communities are safe." (https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1284906924740423681?)Therefore, these records will contribute to public understanding of actual or alleged government activities, and there is an urgency to inform the public about the aforementioned activities.I request that I be properly classified as a news media requester. I am a reporter for the National Interest, and I am requesting this information in that editorial capacity.The National Interest is widely recognized for its reporting, publishing regular features on issues of public interest and importance. In addition, I have covered areas related to this request, and plan to use my editorial skills to analyze and produce original reporting work for millions of monthly readers at NationalInterest.org.If you have any questions about my media status, please contact me.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 15 business days, as the statute requires.Sincerely,Matthew Petti Regards,
DC Government FOIA Portal

This is an automated message from the DC Government FOIA system. Dear Matthew Petti, The status for your request is below. Please log into https://foia-dc.gov/palMain.aspx and go to Request Status. If you have any questions regarding the status of your request, please contact the agency's FOIA office that you had submitted your FOIA request to. You can communicate directly with the FOIA office by clicking on Inbox, search the request number, and then click Compose Message. OR, visit to see a list DC Government FOIA Office’s/officer’s contact information and have your Request ID ready. (https://dc.gov/node/818962) Contact FOIA Office Request status: Closed Request ID: 2020-FOIA-07457 Description: To Whom It May Concern:Pursuant to the DC Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:All emails between any employee from your agency and any Department of Homeland Security email (*dhs.gov), Immigrations and Customs Enforcement email (*ice.gov), Customs and Border Protection email (*cbp.gov), or Department of Justice email (*justice.gov) sent and/or received from 13 July 2020 to 20 July 2020. Please include any attachments from responsive emails additional to the content. If any part of the records are exempt from public disclosure, please exercise your discretion to release any reasonably segregable portions of the records.If your agency has multi-track processing for {law name} requests, I would like to request expedited processing for this request. Otherwise, please note that this request concerns information that is in the public interest to disclose as soon as possible.On 15 July 2020, Federal agents in an unmarked car arrested protesters in Portland, Oregon, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf confirmed to National Public Radio. (https://www.npr.org/2020/07/17/892277592/federal-officers-use-unmarked-vehicles-to-grab-protesters-in-portland). While discussing the incident, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told Fox News on 19 July 2020 that "you’ll see something rolled out this week, as we start to go in and make sure that the communities—whether it’s Chicago or Portland or Milwaukee or someplace across the heartland of the country—we need to make sure their communities are safe." (https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1284906924740423681?)Therefore, these records will contribute to public understanding of actual or alleged government activities, and there is an urgency to inform the public about the aforementioned activities.I request that I be properly classified as a news media requester. I am a reporter for the National Interest, and I am requesting this information in that editorial capacity.The National Interest is widely recognized for its reporting, publishing regular features on issues of public interest and importance. In addition, I have covered areas related to this request, and plan to use my editorial skills to analyze and produce original reporting work for millions of monthly readers at NationalInterest.org.If you have any questions about my media status, please contact me.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 15 business days, as the statute requires.Sincerely,Matthew Petti Regards,
DC Government FOIA Portal