Fargo, ND, PD Citizen Complaints
Submitted | July 31, 2017 |
MuckRock users can file, duplicate, track, and share public records requests like this one. Learn more.
Communications
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to North Dakota Constitution, Article XI, Section 6, and the North Dakota Open Records Statute, N.D.C.C. § 44-04-18(1), I hereby request the following records:
I am an Economics Professor in the College of Business at Ferris State University, and I am engaged in an empirical research project on police behavior and citizen complaints. This project requires me to request data from your department. If you have questions about my request or suggestions, I would be happy to discuss them with you.
1. What is the total number of citizen complaints (allegations of misconduct) made against your department’s officers annually for the last 10 years? If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead.
Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of force, abuse language, unwarranted search) and the result of complaint (i.e., sustained, exonerated).
2. What is the total number of complaints police officers made against their peer officers in department annually for the last 10 years? If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead.
Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of force, abuse language, unwarranted search) and the result of complaint (i.e., sustained, exonerated).
3. What is the total number of calls for service your department received annually for the past 10 years? If your department logs calls for service in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead.
4. What is the annual number of officers involved in shootings in your department for the past 10 years? Any documentation or reports that detail the annual number of officer-involved shootings in your department for the past 10 years would be sufficient.
Please include documentation regarding how many of these officer-involved shootings involved disciplinary action. (Please list officer firearm discharge directed at a person separately from a shooting involving an animal and separately from accidental firearm discharges).
Please include the number of officer-involved shootings resulting in discipline.
5. Which of the above data are published publicly? Please provide a link to any and all publicly available reports containing the data above.
Collecting this information is very important to my research, so I would like to emphasize, if you have questions about my request or suggestions, I would be happy to discuss them with you.
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 would request your response within ten (10) business days.
Sincerely,
Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
From: Nancy Morris
Good afternoon,
The Fargo Police Department forwarded your Open Record Request to our office for response. I am writing to advise that the information you seek is not readily available on lists or documents, but rather would require a lengthy search and redaction of exempt and/or confidential information. Thus, I am writing to seek clarification of your request, and once we have a better understanding of what records you are requesting, an estimate will be prepared for the anticipated time to locate and redact. Statute provides for fees of $25/hour after the first hour, and .25 per page for each copy, after the first hour. Further, the city will require full payment of the estimated costs before making copies and releasing the records.
Please respond to me directly, specifying the documents you are requesting. I wil then attempt to secure an estimate.
Thank you,
Nancy
Nancy J. Morris
Assistant City Attorney
505 N. Broadway, Suite 206
Fargo, ND 58102
(701)280-1901
nmorris@lawfargo.com<mailto:nmorris@lawfargo.com>
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Hello Ms. Morris,
Thank you for the prompt response to my request. What, exactly, can a clarify for you? I am requesting any document that contains the data described in my request. Please let me know what specific questions you have so that I can clarify.
Please provide a fee estimate for my review.
Please omit item 3 from my request.
Respectfully, -Alex Cartwright
From: Nancy Morris
Good afternoon Mr. Cartwright,
The estimated time required to provide the requested records is 76 hours. With the first hour free, this leaves 75 hours at $25/hr for a total of $1,875. In addition, the documents would best be provided electronically, and would require at least 3-4 large thumb drives for an additional cost of $40. Thus, the total estimate for this request is $1,915.
Please remit payment directly to this office, made payable to the city of Fargo.
Thank you,
Nancy J. Morris
Nancy J. Morris
Assistant City Attorney
505 N. Broadway, Suite 206
Fargo, ND 58102
(701)280-1901
nmorris@lawfargo.com<mailto:nmorris@lawfargo.com>
-
~WRD000
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Hello Ms. Morris,
Thank you for this information. We do not have a budge to pay $1915 to the city of Fargo. I would like to amend my request in order to shorten it and, hopefully, reduce the fees.
1- What is the total number of external (citizen) complaints made against your department, annually. for 2007-2017? (For example, 24 in 2007, 28 in 2008 etc.)
2- What is the total number of internal (from within the department) complaints made in your department, annually for 2007-2017?
I hope that this request is easier to fill.
Thank you in advance.
Respectfully,
Alex Cartwright
From: Nancy Morris
Good afternoon,
I understand you are looking for information, specifically the number of external and internal complaints against the Fargo Police Department for the past 10 years. I understand your revised Open Record Request to be in essence a request for information, and not a record request at all. Nevertheless, I am providing to you a chart generated by the city of Fargo Police Department in response to your request. The information is not separately maintained by external and internal complaints, so that distinction is not available in this format. This document did not exist previously, and as you likely know the responding entity is not obligated to create records that do not exist in order to respond to Open Record requests. If this document does not satisfy your information request, the actual records of each complaint will be necessary, and the earlier estimate of costs would apply.
I hope this information is helpful to your research. Unless I hear differently, I will assume your record request is now completed.
Regards,
Nancy
Nancy J. Morris
Assistant City Attorney
505 N. Broadway, Suite 206
Fargo, ND 58102
(701)280-1901
nmorris@lawfargo.com<mailto:nmorris@lawfargo.com>
-
~WRD000
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Hi,
Thanks so much for your help with this request! I really appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
The chart you sent lists "IA" cases by year. What does "IA" stand for?
Thank you.
From: Jared Crane
“IA” stands for Internal Affairs.
Sgt Jared Crane
Fargo Police Dept
Office of Professional Standards
222 4th St N
Fargo, ND 58102
(701)476-4189
-
~WRD000
From: Nancy Morris
Good afternoon,
IA stands for Internal Affairs. OPS is Office of Professional Standards.
Nancy
Nancy J. Morris
Assistant City Attorney
505 N. Broadway, Suite 206
Fargo, ND 58102
(701)280-1901
nmorris@lawfargo.com<mailto:nmorris@lawfargo.com>
-
~WRD000
Files
pages