Palm Bay, FL PD Citizen Complaints
Submitted | Aug. 17, 2017 |
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Communications
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to Florida's Sunshine Law (Fla. Stat. secs. 119.01 to 119.15 (1995)), I hereby request the following records:
We are Economics Professors in the College of Business at Ferris State University, and are engaged in an empirical research project on police behavior and citizen complaints. This project requires us to request data from your department. If you have questions about this request or suggestions, we 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 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.
4. 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 our research, so we would like to emphasize, if you have questions about my request or suggestions, we 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: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 17, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 17, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Michael Smith
To Whom It May Concern:
I have received your request on 10/3/2017. Please see the attached labor fee deposit letter. As explained, I can begin research upon receipt of said deposit.
Thank you,
Sergeant Michael Smith
Palm Bay Police Department
Office of Professional Standards
(321) 952-3458
michael.smith@palmbayflorida.org
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
To Whom It May Concern:
Please find enclosed a check for $50.00 to satisfy the fee associated with the attached public records request.
Thank you.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Florida Sunshine Law request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 17, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Palm Bay Police Department
Good morning,
I am in receipt of your request and check for $50.00. I am working on that request but due to the time frame requested, this will take some time. I will send once completed.
Thanks
Sergeant Jeff Spears
Palm Bay Police Department
Office of Professional Standards
321-952-3458 (office)
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
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From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Florida Sunshine Law request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 17, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Thank you very much for the update. I understand that the request is extensive and may take some time.
Respectfully, -Alex Cartwright
From: Palm Bay Police Department
Good morning.
I have some questions regarding your requested item number 3. Can someone please contact me at 321-733-3061 when they have time. If I do not answer, please leave a call back number. Thank you.
From: Palm Bay Police Department
Good afternoon.
Attached you will find a spread sheet of your requested data. The stats were not recorded until the years listed. In the spread sheet, there are 3 tabs at the bottom with your 3 specific requests. If you have any questions, please let me know.
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Complaint request
From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer
Thank you very much for providing the information we requested. I am writing to ask for some clarification regarding the data on officer-involved shootings you provided us with. What constitutes an officer-involved shooting in your department? For example, some departments do not count misses while others count all discharges; some include shots at animals. Other departments include intentional and accidental shootings; others do not. Some include all discharges and some exclude missed shots. Please explain to us how your department classifies the OIS included in the numbers you sent to us.
Very Respectfully, Alex Cartwright
From: Palm Bay Police Department
We classify them by contact versus non-contact shootings. Any contact shootings to a person are investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, however we of course track them. Contact shootings to animals are tracked by our agency. Non-contact shootings (misses) are investigated by our agency, and still tracked by us as well.
I have reattached that excel spreadsheet adding contact or non-contact to the shootings listed under the shootings tab. Let me know if that works.
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
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