ALPR Usage (Pawley's Island PD)

Chris Meller filed this request with the Town of Pawley's Island of Pawley's Island, SC.
Submitted Feb. 20, 2014
Status
Completed
Tags

Communications

From: Chris Meller

Subject: None

Email

To Whom It May Concern:

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

All documents relating to usage of Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology by the Pawley's Island Police Department, including but not limited to documents indicating:

-scope of ALPR deployment;
-purposes for which ALPR technology is employed;
-means of handling and storing ALPR data;
-extent and timeline for ALPR data storage; and
-protocols and extent of ALPR data sharing between PIPD and other government agencies.

Please include any relevant documents, including but not limited to memos, reports, emails, meeting minutes and contracts.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, 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,

Chris Meller

From: Ryan Fabbri

Subject: None

Email

Dear Mr. Meller:
This communication is in response to your Freedom of Information request on February 20, 2014, regarding all documents relating to usage of Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology by the Pawleys Island Police Department. The Police Department along with my Office has reviewed the request and has determined that the estimated cost to comply with your entire request would be $249.40. This estimate is based on the time for the review, pulling of information and duplication. The following is a breakdown on how the costs were determined:

Police Costs: Labor 8 hours @$23.34 $186.72
Copies 200 @$.08 $16.00 (estimate)
Clerk Costs: Labor 2 hours @$23.34 $46.68
Total = $249.40

Pursuant to S.C. Code 1976 Section 30-4-30(b), The Town of Pawleys Island adheres to the fee schedule contained in our Town ordinance, which is attached for your review. According to section 16-9, if the fee exceeds $150, the public body may require a good faith deposit on 50% of the anticipated costs. Because the estimate exceeds $150, we would require a deposit of $124.70 before compliance with the request. The 15 day window for our response will begin once you notify us in writing of your intentions. Please let me know your desire on proceeding with this request.

Sincerely,
Ryan Fabbri
Assistant Administrator/FEMA CRS Coordinator
Town of Pawleys Island
T: (843) 237-1698
C: (843) 424-5065
F: (843) 237-7083
E: asstadmin@townofpawleysisland.com
W: www.townofpawleysisland.com

From: Chris Meller

Subject: None

Email

Thanks, Ryan. That exceeds my budget for these requests, so I'd like to see if I could reduce its scope. Could you give me an idea of the types of records you have located, particularly those that are most time consuming to retrieve and review?

To help target the search, I've found through identical requests to other agencies that most of the information I'm looking for can be found in two sources that should be easy to retrieve: a vendor contract (scope, purpose, means, extent) and the police department's policy manual or general orders (protocols and sharing).

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,

Chris

From: Ryan Fabbri

Subject: None

Email

Chris,

The cost estimate I gave you included the retrieval of all correspondence with the contractor who installed the cameras, Town Council meeting minutes discussing the cameras and all police reports referencing the cameras. Please let me know if you want to adjust your scope and I will get back to you with an adjusted estimate.

I have responded to specific concerns related to the Town’s ALPR technology. Please review the information and inform me of any additional questions you might have.

Scope of ALPR deployment;

The Town has 2 fixed ALPR camera locations capturing incoming and outgoing traffic to the island. The only 2 arteries to access the island are the North and South Causeways, 1 camera is installed on each.

Purposes for which ALPR technology is employed;

Crime investigation and traffic enforcement. These cameras do not record faces or the MPH of vehicles.

Means of handling and storing ALPR data;

All images and data are uploaded to SLED. No ALPR data is stored at our agency.

Extent and timeline for ALPR data storage;

All images and data are uploaded to SLED. No ALPR data is stored at our agency.

Protocols and extent of ALPR data sharing between PIPD and other government agencies.

All images and data are uploaded to SLED. No ALPR data is stored at our agency. Please contact SLED for their sharing protocols. Internally to our agency it’s shared with officers in our agency only for criminal justice purposes. No other use is authorized.
Thanks,

Ryan Fabbri

Assistant Administrator/FEMA CRS Coordinator

Town of Pawleys Island

T: (843) 237-1698

C: (843) 424-5065

F: (843) 237-7083

E: asstadmin@townofpawleysisland.com

W: www.townofpawleysisland.com <http://www.townofpawleysisland.com/>

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