Police Data Collection Request (2021)
| Submitted | June 4, 2022 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Samuel Sinyangwe
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Wisconsin Open Records Act, I hereby request the following records:
1. the total number of use of force incidents, separated by type of force and year used in 2021 (for example, information that specifies the number of taser incidents in 2021, baton incidents in 2021, etc.)
2. the total number of civilian complaints alleging any form of law enforcement misconduct that were reported and the total number sustained in 2021.
3. the total number of civilian complaints alleging law enforcement use of excessive force that were reported and the total number sustained in 2021.
4. the total number of civilian complaints alleging biased policing or racial profiling that were reported and the total number sustained in 2021.
5. the total number of civilian complaints alleging criminal conduct that were reported and the total number sustained in 2021.
6. the total number of officer involved shootings in 2021, both fatal and non-fatal.
When available, I would appreciate being sent individualized data for each item in this request in spreadsheet format. If individualized data are unavailable, please send information that includes aggregate statistics for the item instead.
Note that my requests for civilian complaints are specifically for civilian complaints alleging police misconduct, please do not include complaints filed by one officer/the department against another officer.
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.
Sincerely,
Samuel Sinyangwe
From: Madison Police Department
Your email request has been received and placed in our processing queue. Due to the volume of requests, the estimated processing time is as follows:
. Standard records request (reports/video/photos)- approximately 6-8 weeks
* Contacts, calls for service or background checks- 2 weeks.
You will be contacted when your request has been completed.
If you are requesting a crash report, these are maintained at the Department of Transportation. They can be contacted directly at https://app.wi.gov/crashreports or by calling (608) 266-8753 (and selecting option 3). For processing this request, you will need the DOT document number located in the upper right corner of the Driver Exchange of Information Form. This document number will begin with 9B or 01L. Crash reports are available from DOT approximately 2 weeks after the date of the crash.
If you need any further information, please visit our website at www.cityofmadison.com/police/services<http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/services> or call (608) 266-4075 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Thank you for contacting Madison Police Records.
From: Madison Police Department
Samuel Sinyangwe,
As you know, I do not need to create any records to reply to a public records request. I only need to provide records if a record exists. You ask for very specific details and information we do not collect as records. I can route you to several publications available 24 hours a day on our website that address many of your questions within the records themselves. This request is CLOSED with this reply as the information you request is not a record held by MPD and the information you are requesting is publically available.
PSIA summary records:
https://www.cityofmadison.com/police/PSIA/
Quarterly 21st Century policing reports including Use of Force:
https://www.cityofmadison.com/police/data/archived-quarterly-data.cfm
By Wisconsin law Officer Involved Critical Incidents will appear in Use of Force numbers (see above) and if there was a death these records would belong to the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation.
https://www.doj.state.wi.us/dci/officer-involved-critical-incident
After a thorough search, I have determined no "Specific information regarding investigations" record exists in the Madison Police Department related to your request."[T]he public records law does not require an authority to provide requested information if no record exists, or to simply answer questions about a topic of interest to the requester. "Journal Times, 2015 WI 56, ¶ 55 (citation omitted); see also State ex rel. Zinngrabe v. Sch. Dist. of Sevastopol, 146 Wis. 2d 629, 431 N.W.2d 734 (Ct. App. 1988). However, if no responsive record exists, the records custodian should inform the requester. Cf. State ex rel. Zinngrabe, 146 Wis. 2d 629.
Best,
Julie
Julie A. Laundrie
Madison Police Department
Public Records Custodian
jlaundrie@cityofmadison.com<mailto:jlaundrie@cityofmadison.com>
608-266-6068
[Color Logo]
For more information on MPD Public Records request replies:
https://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/PublicRecordsRequests.pdf
GR10 window is now open normal hours M-F 8-4pm for public records requests and pick up. MPD Records is now charging the City determined fees for records: https://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/RecordFees.pdf
