Public Records Request

Jack Gorsline filed this request with the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office of Middlesex County, MA.
Est. Completion None
Status
Fix Required

Communications

From: Jack Gorsline

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

All public records in the possession of the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office concerning communications between your office and the following individuals and organizations, as well as any individuals not named below that were/are representing these organizations.

Organizations

1- Coalition for Safe Communities
2- Smart Approaches to Marijuana
3- Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions
4- Bay Staters for Natural Medicine
5- Massachusetts Psychiatric Society
6- Empire Solutions
7- Healthcare for Action PAC

Individuals:

1- Kevin Sabet
2- Dr. Anahita Dua
3- Bob Driscoll
4- Chris Keohan
4- James Davis
5- Colomba Klenner
6- Dr. John Fromson
7- Dr. Nassir Ghaemi

The scope of my request includes, but is not limited to, the following types of communications:

1- All emails and attachments sent or received between the Middlesex County District Attorney's office and any of the aforementioned individuals and organizations.
2- Documentation of all phone calls, including call logs or memoranda summarizing the date, time, participants, and purpose of the call.
3- Notes or minutes of any meetings held between the Middlesex County District Attorney's office and any of the aforementioned individuals and organizations.

Please note: I am aware that certain exemptions may apply to the disclosure of some public records. However, I request that all records that can be released without redaction be provided to me. In the event that any portions of the requested records must be redacted, I request that a detailed log be provided specifying the reasons for redaction and the specific statutory exemption(s) that apply.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, and is not made for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

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,

Jack Gorsline

From: Middlesex County District Attorney's Office

Good Afternoon,

I am writing to confirm receipt of your below referenced request pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, G.L. c. 66, s. 10.

Your request was first routed to the attention of our public records team this morning. I have made a request with the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security to assist in identifying responsive communications records for our review.

We will provide an update or response as soon as practicable.
Regards,

Daniel M. DeBlander
Assistant District Attorney, Appeals & Training Bureau
Middlesex District Attorney's Office
15 Commonwealth Avenue
Woburn, MA 01801

From: Middlesex County District Attorney's Office

Good Morning,

I am writing to provide you with an update on this matter and to see if you would be amenable to a reasonable modification of the scope of your request in light of the volume of responsive email records and attachments.

Our Office has worked with the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) to run a search of our emails for domain addresses of organizations (where known), the 7 organization names you requested, as well as the 7 individuals you requested. We have heard back from EOTSS and the search resulted in approximately 4,087 items (emails, attentions, extensions, etc.).

An initial review of the responsive emails and attachments shows that all of the records responsive to this query will need to be closely reviewed for exemptions under the Public Records Law as many constitute work product, concern Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI), relate to ongoing investigations or cases, implicate the privacy of named individuals, and may implicate other statutory exemptions. G.L. c. 4, s. 7(26).

While I cannot without closer review provide an exact estimate of the time involved to review these materials, this will require many dozens of hours of review that will necessarily involve seeking information concerning the status of investigations and close review of many large spreadsheets concerning criminal cases, internal procedures, memoranda of law and facts concerning criminal cases, and other sensitive matters.

In order to provide a more targeted and efficient response to your request, are there possible search terms that we may might be able to use to narrow the scope of your request to a more manageable volume of records that is also more likely to reflect information you may be interested in? If you are also not seeking records specifically concerning criminal investigations or specific cases let us know and we could also exclude those records to more efficiently provide a review and response. Please let me know your thoughts at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Daniel M. DeBlander
Assistant District Attorney, Appeals & Training Bureau
Middlesex District Attorney’s Office
15 Commonwealth Avenue
Woburn, MA 01801

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