Google Alerts (Alaska State Troopers)

The Department of Public Safety has received your Request for Public Information. Your request will be reviewed and then assigned for processing. You will be contacted prior to your request being completed if any charges will be incurred.
Request number has been assigned for this request. Please use this number for correspondence. 31321
Description:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Alaska Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:

A. Copies of emailed Google Alert subscription confirmations received between January 1, 2016 and the date of the processing of this request.

B. Copies of all emailed Google Alerts received between January 1, 2016 and the date of the processing of this request. Google Alerts may be identified by any or all of the following:

1. Containing the phrase "Google Alert" in the Subject line
2. Being sent by an email address with the display name "Google Alerts"
3. Being sent from the email address googlealerts-noreply@google.com

I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have previously written about the government and its activities, with some reaching over 100,000 readers in outlets such as Gizmodo, MuckRock, Motherboard, Property of the People, Unicorn Riot, and The Outline, among others. As such, as I have a reasonable expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well established. In addition, I discuss and comment on the files online and make them available through non-profits such as the library Internet Archive and the journalist non-profit MuckRock, disseminating them to a large audience. While my research is not limited to this, a great deal of it, including this, focuses on the activities and attitudes of the government itself. As such, it is not necessary for me to demonstrate the relevance of this particular subject in advance.

As my primary purpose is to inform about government activities by reporting on it and making the raw data available, I request that fees be waived.

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, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Emma Best
Incident/Case #:
Date of Incident:
Court Case Number:
Location or Address of Incident:

Alaska Administrative Code 2 AAC 96.325 requires that responses to requests be made within ten working days of receipt of request. The regulation further provides that the ten working day deadline can be extended an additional ten working days provided notice is given to the requester that additional time is needed. In situations where the regulatory time deadline cannot be met, the requester is to be contacted and advised of response efforts.
Please do not reply to this e-mail, it is sent to an unmonitored account. For questions or to submit additional information or documents, please e-mail dps.publicinforequest@alaska.gov. (mailto:dps.publicinforequest@alaska.gov)

Ms. Best-
You filed a records request (PIR 31321):

To Whom It May Concern: Pursuant to the Alaska Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records: A. Copies of emailed Google Alert subscription confirmations received between January 1, 2016 and the date of the processing of this request. B. Copies of all emailed Google Alerts received between January 1, 2016 and the date of the processing of this request. Google Alerts may be identified by any or all of the following: 1. Containing the phrase "Google Alert" in the Subject line 2. Being sent by an email address with the display name "Google Alerts" 3. Being sent from the email address googlealerts-noreply@google.com I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have previously written about the government and its activities, with some reaching over 100,000 readers in outlets such as Gizmodo, MuckRock, Motherboard, Property of the People, Unicorn Riot, and The Outline, among others. As such, as I have a reasonable expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well established. In addition, I discuss and comment on the files online and make them available through non-profits such as the library Internet Archive and the journalist non-profit MuckRock, disseminating them to a large audience. While my research is not limited to this, a great deal of it, including this, focuses on the activities and attitudes of the government itself. As such, it is not necessary for me to demonstrate the relevance of this particular subject in advance. As my primary purpose is to inform about government activities by reporting on it and making the raw data available, I request that fees be waived. 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, as the statute requires. Sincerely, Emma Best

Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate State agency, Office of Information Technology (OIT) State Security Office, for review and response. This records request is now closed for the DPS.

Respectfully,

Megan A. Peters
Communications Director | Department of Public Safety

5700 E. Tudor Rd.
Anchorage AK 99507

(907) 229-2738

September 1, 2020

Emma Best

411A Highland Ave, MR99082
Somerville, MA 02144

requests@muckrock.com

Dear Ms. Best:

I am writing to follow up on my August 18, 2020, email responding to your August 17, 2020, records request in which you seek Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) emails received between January 1, 2016, and "the date of processing this request" that are (1) a "Google Alert subscription confirmation" or (2) a Google Alert. You propose a search for these emails using the phrase "Google Alert" in the subject field, "Google Alerts" in the from field, and/or "googlealerts-noreply@google.com" in the from field.

In my August 18 email, I noted that DPS closed your request after forwarding it to the State Security Office (SSO) in the Office of Information Technology. In fact, DPS has not closed your request and will work with SSO to respond to it after you respond to this letter.

A. Clarification

DPS asks you to clarify your request to better identify the records you want and to speed and to lessen the burden of responding. 2 AAC 96.315. Also, please note that under AS 40.25.115(a), DPS "may" provide electronic services and products, but doing so "may not take priority over the primary responsibilities of" the agency. Specifically, please respond to the following questions:

1. You seek records spanning over four and a half years. At least initially, can you narrow your request to a substantially shorter period? Please note that the cutoff date for a search is the date we receive a request or a clarified request, whichever is later.

2. Which DPS employees' emails do you want searched: e.g., the commissioner, deputy commissioner, and/or a division director? Please identify the employees by name or title. DPS needs the email address of a former employee to search for the employee's emails.

3. Which Google Alert topics are you interested in?

If you do not provide clarification within two weeks, DPS will treat your request as withdrawn. If you later want to resubmit your request, please complete the fields on the DPS Request for Research webpage at https://publicinformationrequest.dps.alaska.gov/.

B. AS 40.25.115

Searching for emails in response to your request requires providing electronic services and products under the Alaska Public Records Act. See AS 40.25.115; 2 AAC 96.400 - 2 AAC 96.470. This is because the email search will involve providing "functional electronic access to the information system of the agency; . . . 'functional access' includes the capability for alphanumeric query and printing." AS 40.25.220(1)(E). This is also because, to the extent you seek emails of former employees, only SSO can search for a former DPS employee's emails that no current DPS employee or contractor possesses. See AS 40.25.220(1)(D). And under AS 40.25.115(b), requesters must pay "the actual incremental costs of providing the electronic services and products"; SSO can most cost effectively search the State's email system for responsive DPS emails. (SSO email searches typically cost $70.06.)

Upon receiving a sufficient clarification, DPS will ask SSO for an Email Search Description and Cost Estimate. After you approve the description and pay the estimate, DPS will ask SSO to begin the search. DPS will review the collected emails for responsiveness and protected information.

C. Fee Waiver

DPS cannot grant your fee waiver request because you have not complied with the requirements of 2 AAC 96.470.

If you have any questions, please contact me megan.peters@alaska.gov or 907-229-2738.

Respectfully,

Megan Peters
Communications Director
(907) 229-2738