Open Records Request

Good afternoon,

We are in receipt of your open records request. So we may better assist you, please provide a first and last name.

Thank you,

Nkenge Green
Attorney Manager, Open Records Unit
Legal Services Division
Georgia Department of Public Safety
959 United Avenue SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30316
Phone: 404-624-7591
Fax: 404-624-7529
ngreen@gsp.net<mailto:ngreen@gsp.net>

[cid:image002.png@01D96335.661E0440]
https://eports.gamccd.net/orportal

Good afternoon,

We are in receipt of your open records request. DPS will seek reimbursement pursuant to our charging chart and consistent with Georgia law. For fee information, please see O.C.G.A. §50-18-71. You may review our charging chart at https://dps.georgia.gov/charging-fees-open-records-requests<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fdps.georgia.gov%2fcharging-fees-open-records-requests&c=E,1,2HE9mQf0XNGxMWAYFcfiika7IA_x3lbMz56Euf2io-FL37qf9hcXtiSnJ-B8GcNFN5qTup7dd6bK9ewWCtCVCsU_2IlonS_o_S_N6UtZI9mXGyaP9xK91X0,&typo=1>. If you request a record that is immediately available, we will not require any identifying information. However, the records you have requested are not immediately available so you must provide enough information so we will be able to notify you when your request is complete. We will also need to get confirmation of your intent to pay if the request exceeds $25.00 before processing your request pursuant to state law. Please see O.C.G.A. §50-18-71(d). Please provide contact information including a first and last name so we may process your request. If we don’t hear from you within two weeks, this request will be closed.

Thank you,

Nkenge Green
Attorney Manager, Open Records Unit
Legal Services Division
Georgia Department of Public Safety
959 United Avenue SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30316
Phone: 404-624-7591
Fax: 404-624-7529
ngreen@gsp.net<mailto:ngreen@gsp.net>

[cid:image002.png@01D963DD.100278E0]
https://eports.gamccd.net/orportal

Your request has been submitted,your request number is OTHE16048123.

You can check your request status by going to http://gadps-eports.net and entering your request number in the search bar.

You will receive an email once your request has been completed

Here is the DPS Charging Chart for your reference https://dps.georgia.gov/charging-fees-open-records-requests

Thank you
Open Records Unit
Georgia Department of Public Safety

Good morning,

We are in receipt of your open records request. DPS will seek reimbursement pursuant to our charging chart and consistent with Georgia law. For fee information, please see O.C.G.A. §50-18-71. You may review our charging chart at https://dps.georgia.gov/charging-fees-open-records-requests<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fdps.georgia.gov%2fcharging-fees-open-records-requests&c=E,1,2HE9mQf0XNGxMWAYFcfiika7IA_x3lbMz56Euf2io-FL37qf9hcXtiSnJ-B8GcNFN5qTup7dd6bK9ewWCtCVCsU_2IlonS_o_S_N6UtZI9mXGyaP9xK91X0,&typo=1>. If the costs exceed $25.00, we will wait for your agreement to pay the estimated costs before completing the request. Please see O.C.G.A. §50-18-71(d).

We anticipate providing a copy of any available, releasable records within a minimum of two weeks.

Thank you,
Nkenge Green
Attorney Manager, Open Records Unit
Legal Services Division
Georgia Department of Public Safety
959 United Avenue SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30316
Phone: 404-624-7591
Fax: 404-624-7529
ngreen@gsp.net<mailto:ngreen@gsp.net>

[cid:image001.png@01D967B4.69E5EAB0]
https://eports.gamccd.net/orportal

On March 25, 2023:
Subject: Georgia Open Records Act Request: Open Records Request
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Georgia Open Records Act, I hereby request the following records:

All Information Bulletins and internal memos disseminated between 1/1/22-3/24/23 which contain one of the following keywords: "Cop City", "Public Safety Training Center" or "Domestic Terrorist".

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 3 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

e

View request history, upload responsive documents, and report problems here:
https://www.muckrock.com/

If prompted for a passcode, please enter:
••••••••

Filed via MuckRock.com<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fMuckRock.com&c=E,1,HHohbYOPyhdf84if1SHAM7WGjbAfFqJv3yapF2fMDswZDmoa7O1XsOw6KlHXkRcVRY8KNo4I68d-pvYXhcTefQbczw3qJ9_28RqAs70dAw1CgCY,&typo=1&ancr_add=1>
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com

PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 143341
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115

PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share, and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed (i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.
[Image removed by sender.]

Good day,

Your request is in progress.

To determine whether DPS has any Information Bulletins and internal memos disseminated between 1/1/22-3/24/23 which contain one of the following keywords: "Cop City", "Public Safety Training Center" or "Domestic Terrorist”, a query can be conducted with very specific parameters, per O.C.G.A. §50-18-71(g), to wit:

Requests to inspect or copy electronic messages, whether in the form of e-mail, text message, or other format, should contain information about the messages that is reasonably calculated to allow the recipient of the request to locate the messages sought, including, if known, the name, title, or office of the specific person or persons whose electronic messages are sought and, to the extent possible, the specific data bases to be searched for such messages.

Please review your request and provide necessary parameters, including a known name, title, or office of the specific person or persons whose emails/texts your request seek. Please also know that DPS uses Barracuda, a platform designed and intended for “security” and not a “search” platform. To that end, Barracuda captures individual words. It does not capture phrases.

The email search(es) will be conducted by an IT specialist with the credentials and ability to perform such a search on our protected system. The specialist will enter your defined queries or attempt to determine such queries from the information you have provided (with the latter taking more time), monitor the processes for any interruption(s) that require a restart, download the captured returns, and then convert them to a readable format. The hourly rate for the fulltime, credentialled specialist is $73.99 per hour, with the first 15 minutes free. We have found that well-defined parameters from a requestor generally result in less time (approximately 30 minutes). However, in circumstances of poorly defined parameters, we have discovered that there may be many hits and lots of attachments which are often irrelevant to the specified request, and likewise require more time to review for redactions of personal information and protected materials. The remaining production tasks of review and redacting captured emails has a reimbursement rate of a designated employee who is credentialled to review emails ($25 per hour), with the general ability to review 100 pages per hour, depending upon the type of materials requiring the review. Please note that you will be responsible for the query time even if no responsive records are found or if you choose not to pay for the individual emails.

Please let us know if you want to obtain a time/cost estimate for an email query and after you have provided specific parameters, we will contact our IT specialist. If we don’t hear from you within two weeks, this request will be closed.

Thank you,

Sharon Mangum

Deputy Attorney Manager, Open Records Unit
Legal Services Division
Georgia Department of Public Safety
959 United Avenue SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30316
Phone: 404-624-7591
Fax: 404-624-7529
smangum@gsp.net

Good day,

We will contact our IT Specialist and provide a time cost estimate. We anticipate following up with you within one week.

Thank you,

Sharon Mangum

Deputy Attorney Manager, Open Records Unit
Legal Services Division
Georgia Department of Public Safety
959 United Avenue SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30316
Phone: 404-624-7591
Fax: 404-624-7529
smangum@gsp.net

Good day,

The estimate for the email query is two hours or $147.98. Because the amount exceeds $25.00, please confirm your intent to pay pursuant to O.C.G.A. §50-18-71(d) so we may proceed. Please note this estimate is only for the query time. If there are any responsive records, there will be an additional cost per page. The remaining production tasks of review and redacting captured emails has a reimbursement rate of a designated employee who is credentialled to review emails ($25 per hour), with the general ability to review 100 pages per hour, depending upon the type of materials requiring the review. Please note that you will be responsible for the query time even if no responsive records are found or if you choose not to pay for the individual emails.

If we don't hear from you within two weeks, this request will be closed.

Thank you,

Sharon Mangum

Deputy Attorney Manager, Open Records Unit
Legal Services Division
Georgia Department of Public Safety
959 United Avenue SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30316
Phone: 404-624-7591
Fax: 404-624-7529
smangum@gsp.net

Good day,

Please see the attached invoice, per your request. If we don’t receive confirmation of your intent to pay, your request will be closed.

Thank you,

Sharon Mangum

Deputy Attorney Manager, Open Records Unit
Legal Services Division
Georgia Department of Public Safety
959 United Avenue SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30316
Phone: 404-624-7591
Fax: 404-624-7529
smangum@gsp.net

Good day,

Thank you for confirming your intent to pay. We anticipate providing a copy of any available, releasable records within two weeks.

Sincerely,

Sharon Mangum

Deputy Attorney Manager, Open Records Unit
Legal Services Division
Georgia Department of Public Safety
959 United Avenue SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30316
Phone: 404-624-7591
Fax: 404-624-7529
smangum@gsp.net

Sharon M. Mangum would like to recall the message, "OTHE16048123 - Bulletins/internal memos (1/1/22 - 3/24/23)".

Good day,

Thank you for confirming your intent to pay for the query ($147.98). Your request is in progress. If there are any responsive records, we will provide an estimate for the number of pages. If the total expected reimbursement costs including the query exceeds $500.00, pre-payment will be required. See O.C.G.A. §50-18-71(d).

We anticipate the query will take a minimum of two weeks.

Sincerely,

Sharon Mangum

Deputy Attorney Manager, Open Records Unit
Legal Services Division
Georgia Department of Public Safety
959 United Avenue SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30316
Phone: 404-624-7591
Fax: 404-624-7529
smangum@gsp.net

Dear MuckRock Requestor e:

Your open records request was referred to me for response on behalf of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. Your request has received a reference number, OTHE16048123, and is included in the chain below for ease of reference.

Outstanding Invoices
As a preliminary matter, MuckRock has outstanding invoices for documents already produced by this Department. Thus, all further production tasks undertaken by this Department for MuckRock requests require prepayment until the total outstanding balance is paid in full. See O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(d).

Failure to Designate Time Parameters
Concerning your particular MuckRock request, you have failed to provide necessary parameters concerning the date or dates to be searched. Please provide a timeline, which would be necessary to conduct a thorough and sifting search.

Materials Related to the Pending Criminal Investigation are not Currently Releasable.
There remains a pending criminal investigation or prosecution. Any materials related to such pending investigation or prosecution are protected from disclosure per O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(4). Should you provide us with a Court order or the prosecutor’s written authorization for release while the criminal matter is pending, we will conduct the responsive search(es).

Email Communications & Documents
To the extent that you are seeking any releasable communications or attachments made via emails, please allow this response to provide you with a preliminary estimate and explanatory information.

DPS uses Barracuda, a platform which is designed and intended for security purposes and not designed or intended as a platform for queries or searches. Barracuda captures individual words; it does not capture phrases. We know from previous requests for specific terms and phrases that such an email query would result in a large volume of unintended documents. For example, your search request for "Public Safety Training Center" would return a hit for every email and attachment sent and received that would include the term “Public”. Separately, it would return a hit for every email that would include the very general and often used word, “Safety.” Likewise, it would return a hit for every email that would include the term “Training.” As you may appreciate, this state agency is “The Department of Public Safety,” which is most likely referenced in the signature blocks of almost all emails initiated by this Department’s approximately 1600 employees over the last two (2) years. Thus, we anticipate that your search terms and phrases would result in thousands of pages of documents that are otherwise outside of your intended search.

Labor and reimbursement costs
For reimbursement fee information, please see O.C.G.A. §50-18-71. You may also review our charging chart at https://dps.georgia.gov/charging-fees-open-records-requests. We will not charge for the first quarter hour of searching should you elect to proceed with the additional production tasks, discussed below.

Searches
Email queries utilizing your terms and phrases would be conducted by the lowed paid, full-time IT specialist, who, in the reasonable discretion of the Department, has the necessary skill and training to perform the searches. The specialist would be a designee of the Department who has the credentials and ability to perform such searches on our protected system, monitor the processes for any interruptions that require a restart, and then download all the captured returns and convert them to a readable format. The hourly rate for the fulltime, credentialled specialist is $73.99. Your requests will require separate inputs, which, by a conservative estimate, would take at least 1 hour for the queries and 9 hours of download time. Thus, we expect a reimbursement fee for the search tasks at a conservative estimation of $730.99. Please note that you will be responsible for the query times even if no responsive records are found or if you choose not to pay for the individual emails.

Review, Redaction, and Production
As discussed above, we anticipate a large volume of unintended electronic correspondence and attachments for review and redaction. We estimate that just the phrase “Public Safety Training Center" would result in 45,000 – 70,000 pages, whereas the other queries would result in approximately 5000 to 9000 pages. Each page must be read for an assessment of what parts fit within your requests, and whether they are legally protected from disclosure, which would require the additional tasks of redaction. The initial review of emails can be performed by an open records analyst at the lowest salaried position capable of conducting such tasks, with an anticipated reimbursement rate of $25.00 per hour. A final review of the selected, producible documents must be made by an attorney to determine whether the attorney client privilege or some other statutory exception applies, at a rate $73.99 per hour. We estimate that the initial review and then redaction of responsive documents would take at least a week for a single employee to review and provide redactions ($1000), and the final attorney review for redactions would take approximately 8 hours ($591.92).

Because the total estimated reimbursement fee for production of any available, releasable, responsive records is $2,322.91, prepayment of this estimate is required prior to our beginning any searches. See O.C.G.A. §50-18-71(d). Please note that our estimate may be unduly conservative. Once we determine how many corresponding hits are returned, and the amount of pages produced, we can provide you with a more exact cost estimate. With a response from you concerning the time parameters and the receipt of your prepayment, we will begin the searches discussed above. However, if we do not hear back from you with responsive information and prepayment within two weeks, we must close this file.

Sincerely,

Joan G. Crumpler
Director
Legal Services Division
Georgia Department of Public Safety
959 United Ave., S.E.
Atlanta, GA 30316
Submit your records request online: https://eports.gamccd.net/orportal

Dear MuckRock Requestor e:
Your suggested online information is inconsistent with our system, per our additional inquiry.
Without the prepayment, we must necessarily close your file.
Sincerely,
Joan G. Crumpler
Legal Director, DPS

Depending upon what type of “amendment” we may need to open a new file number.

Muck Rock Requestor e:
We will further inquire and get back to you.

Sincerely,

Joan G. Crumpler
Director, Legal Division
Georgia Department of Public Safety
959 United Ave., S.E.
Atlanta, GA 30316
Submit your records request online: https://eports.gamccd.net/orportal

Dear Muck Rock Requestor e:

We have inquired about your revised request.

New Estimate: We anticipate that inputting the queries, running the hits, and exporting the data to a readable format will take four (4) hours, which shall not exceed the prorated hourly salary of the lowest paid full-time employee who, in the reasonable discretion of the custodian of the records, has the necessary skill and training to conduct such search and handle the returns on our protected system. Since we do not yet have sufficient information to know the number of documents expected, we are unable to give you a reasoned estimate for the amount of time it will take to review such records for responsiveness and redact any exempted information. Generally, we expect an hour of review and redaction time for every 100 pages. At a minimum, we currently expect the reimbursement costs of $377.47. This may be a conservative number. Once we know the number of pages of documents returned from your requested queries, we will have the best estimate for the reimbursement fees associated with review, redaction, and production.

Releasability of Documents: You have asked for very exacting phrases, “"Cop City" and "Domestic Terrorist". Those terms tend to reflect on criminal matters. Of course, without running the queries, we don’t know how, when, why, or if those phrases were used concerning any pending investigation or prosecution of criminal or unlawful activity. If so, such documents would not be subject to release until the related criminal matters are no longer pending. See O.C.G.A. §50-18-72(a)(4). If we run the queries you seek, and the documents we find are subject to the (a)(4) exception, then you would not be able to obtain the documents until the criminal matter is no longer pending.

Prepayment is required for this Department to run the queries because MuckRock has outstanding charges for this Department’s prior production of documents. If you pay the estimated costs of $377.47 for your refined search associated with this reference number, we will run the queries. However, as mentioned above, we must remove or redact those materials that may relate to any pending criminal investigation or prosecution. O.C.G.A. §50-18-72(a)(4).

If we do not hear back from you with a meaningful response by May 24, 2023, we must close this file.

Sincerely,

Joan G. Crumpler
Director, Legal Division
Georgia Department of Public Safety
959 United Ave., S.E.
Atlanta, GA 30316
Submit your records request online: https://eports.gamccd.net/orportal