ATF assistance to the production of 2006 film "Deja Vu"

September 21, 2023 REFER TO: 2023-01687Mr. Brett CarolloMuckRock News, DEPT MR152217263 Huntington AveBoston, MA 02115Dear Mr. Carollo:This is to acknowledge receipt of your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request dated September 20, 2023, and received by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on September 20, 2023, in which you requested records concerning 2006 movie "Deja Vu. The records you seek require a search in at least one other office within ATF, and so your request presents “unusual circumstances” under the FOIA. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(B)(iii)(I). Because of these unusual circumstances, we are extending the time limit to respond to your request beyond the ten additional days provided by the statute. We have not completed a search to determine whether there are records within the scope of your request. The time needed to process your request will depend on the complexity of our records search and on the volume and complexity of any records located. For your information, this office assigns incoming requests to one of three tracks: simple, complex, or expedited. Each request is then handled on a first-in, first-out basis in relation to other requests in the same track. Simple requests usually receive a response in approximately one month, whereas complex requests necessarily take longer. At this time, your request has been assigned to the Complex track. Your request has been placed in chronological order based on the date of receipt and will be handled as quickly as possible when it is assigned for processing. A tracking number has been assigned to your request and is set forth above. Please refer to this number in any future communications regarding this request.Because this Office is not assessing any fees in connection with the processing of your request, there is no need for us to determine whether your request qualifies for a waiver of fees.If you have any questions regarding the status of your request, you may contact our FOIA Public Liaison at 202-648-7390 to discuss any aspect of your request. Additionally, you may contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIA mediation services they offer. The contact information for OGIS is as follows: Office of Government Information Services, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS, College Park, Maryland 20740-6001; e-mail at ogis@nara.gov; telephone at 202-741-5770; toll free at 1-877-684-6448; or facsimile at 202-741-5769. Sincerely,Adam C. SipleChiefInformation & Privacy Governance Division
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"Good afternoon, Mr. Carollo,

Information Privacy and Governance Division (IPGD) is processing your FOIA request. However, IPGD is currently waiting for responsive records if any from another Office.

Please check back with IPGD within 3 weeks.

Thank you,

Charlet Allen
Contractor, FSA
Department of Justice
Information Privacy and Governance Division"

January 30, 2024 2023-01687

Dear Mr. Carollo,

I'm reaching out in response to your inquiry to our office seeking a status update concerning your FOIA case number 2023-01687. ATF's Information and Privacy Governance Division (IPGD) is still processing your request. Your request was assigned to the appropriate office to conduct a search for responsive records. Upon completion of our search, we will provide you with ATF's final response and any records, should they be available.

In the interim, please feel free to reach out to me should you have additional questions about this, or other ATF FOIA matters.

Sincerely,

Charlet Allen
Contractor, FSA
Department of Justice
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
Information and Privacy Governance Division

04/12/2024 REFER TO: 2023-01687

Brett Carollo
MuckRock News, DEPT MR152217
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, Massachusetts 02115

Dear Mr. Carollo:

This responds to your request for an update on the status of your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request dated 9/20/2023, in which you requested records concerning 2006 movie "Deja Vu.

At this time, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is experiencing a significant demand for information from the public and oversight entities. This significant demand has caused a backlog of FOIA requests, and is considered an “unusual circumstance.” See 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(B)(i)-(iii). Because of these unusual circumstances, we need to extend the time limit to respond to your request beyond the ten additional days provided by statute.

Due to this backlog, we estimate that it will take 90 days from the date of this letter to respond to your request. Please note this is only an estimated date of completion as there may be circumstances that lead to a longer or shorter processing time. The time needed to complete our processing of your request will necessarily depend on the complexity of our records search and on the volume and complexity of any records located. In any event, we will follow up with you if we are able to locate potentially responsive documents from the appropriate ATF component. To allow us to respond more quickly to you, you may wish to narrow the scope of your request to limit the number of potentially responsive records or agree to an alternative time frame for processing.

I regret the necessity of this delay, but I assure you that your request will be processed as soon as possible. If you have any questions or wish to discuss reformulation or an alternative time frame for the processing of your request, you may contact our FOIA Public Liaisons, Lynette Carter and Jasmine Bryant, at 202-648-7390, for any further assistance and to discuss any aspect of your request. Additionally, you may contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIA mediation services they offer. The contact information for OGIS is as follows: Office of Government Information Services, National Archives and Records Administration, Room 2510, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland 20740-6001, e-mail at ogis@nara.gov; telephone at 202-741-5770; toll free at 1-877-684-6448; or facsimile at 202-741-5769.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth A. Wood
Acting Chief
Information and Privacy Governance Division

"Hello,

FOIA request 2023-01687 is at the secondary review stage. While I am unable to provide you with an exact date of completion, I am hopeful that it will be completed before the end of the fiscal year.

Sincerely,

Lynette Carter"

07/30/2024 REFER TO: 2023-01687

Brett Carollo
MuckRock News, DEPT MR152217
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, Massachusetts 02115

Dear Mr. Carollo:

This responds to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)/Privacy Act request dated September 20, 2023, and received by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on the same date, in which you requested "any and all documents relating to potential collaboration between the production of the 2006 movie "Deja Vu," directed by Tony Scott, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF)." Your request was assigned ATF tracking number 2023-01687. Please refer to this number in any future correspondence.

In response to your request, we are releasing a total of 30 pages of responsive material. Individual redactions identify the exemption pursuant to which the redacted material has been withheld. Please be advised that we considered the foreseeable harm standard when reviewing records and applying FOIA exemptions.

Pursuant to exemption (b)(6), 0 pages have been withheld in full and 3 pages in part. We are withholding third party information, including the names of ATF employees, under FOIA Exemption (b)(6). To disclose personal information about a living individual to a member of the public, we need the written consent from the persons whose information you requested. Without written consent, proof of death, or an overriding public interest, personal information is exempt from disclosure under the FOIA. The FOIA does not require agencies to disclose information that would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy of third parties. 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(6).

Pursuant to exemption (b)(6), (b)(7)(C), 0 pages have been withheld in full and 27 pages in part. We are withholding third party information, including the names of ATF employees. To disclose personal information about a living individual to a member of the public, we need the written consent from the persons whose information you requested. Without written consent, proof of death, or an overriding public interest, personal information is exempt from disclosure under the FOIA. The FOIA does not require agencies to disclose information that would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy of third parties. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(6). Also, we are withholding third party information, including the names of ATF employees as well as personal information of other persons mentioned in the records, pursuant to Exemption (b)(7)(C) of the FOIA. Exemption (b)(7)(C) permits the withholding of information compiled for law enforcement purposes that “could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” The public interest in disclosure is limited to the FOIA’s core purpose of shedding light on an agency’s performance of its statutory duties. The public interest under Exemption (b)(7)(C) must be both significant and compelling in order to overcome the legitimate personal privacy interests of a third party. In this matter, the disclosure would not serve the core purpose of the FOIA but would serve as an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(7)(C).

For your information, Congress excluded three discrete categories of law enforcement and national security records from the requirements of the FOIA. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(c). This response is limited to those records that are subject to the requirements of the FOIA. This is a standard notification that is given to all our requesters and should not be taken as an indication that excluded records do, or do not, exist.

You may contact our FOIA Public Liaisons, Lynette Carter and Jasmine Bryant, at 202-648-7390 for any further assistance and to discuss any aspect of your request. Additionally, you may contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIA mediation services they offer. The contact information for OGIS is as follows: Office of Government Information Services, National Archives and Records Administration, Room 2510, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland 20740-6001, e-mail at ogis@nara.gov; telephone at 202-741-5770; toll free at 1-877-684-6448; or facsimile at 202-741-5769.

If you are not satisfied with my response to this request, you may administratively appeal by writing to the Director, Office of Information Policy (OIP), United States Department of Justice, 441 G Street, NW, 6th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20530, or you may submit an appeal through OIP's FOIA STAR portal by creating an account following the instructions on OIP’s website: https://doj-foia.entellitrak.com/etk-doj-foia-prod/login.request.do. Your appeal must be postmarked or electronically transmitted within 90 days of the date of my response to your request. If you submit your appeal by mail, both the letter and the envelope should be clearly marked “Freedom of Information Act Appeal.”

Please use the following link to navigate to your documents. This link will be available for 365 days.

To retrieve the records associated with this request use this link Released Documents for Request 2023-01687 or enter https://www.securerelease.us/request-details/247939DB-4ED6-44DD-8F19-F2A8E606C6D6/2 in your browser’s address bar. (https://www.securerelease.us/request-details/247939DB-4ED6-44DD-8F19-F2A8E606C6D6/2)
Please login or create a new user account using the email address associated with your records request: requests@muckrock.com.

Sincerely,

Hirsh D. Kravitz
Acting Chief
Information and Privacy Governance Division

Dear Mr. Carollo,
We apologize for the delay in processing your request. Dueto an overwhelming number of requests, our processing times have been extended.
Our records indicate that FOIA request 2024-00141 related to a list of all the films that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has participated in the production of, in any capacity whatsoever, for the year 2021. Any and all such lists, full or partial, would be appreciated and may include, but are not limited to, entertainment liaison (ELO) reports is still pending with ATF. We are reaching out toconfirm whether you still require this request or if you would like to refinethe scope to help shorten the processing time.
To move forward, please respond within seven (7) businessdays to either confirm your continued interest or provide any modifications tothe request. If we do not receive a response, we may close the request.
For further communication, we kindly ask that you use theFOIA Express PAL portal at https://foia-pal.atf.gov. Once you create anaccount, you will be able to view your request and message us directly.
If you encounter any issues creating an account, pleasecontact FOIA PAL Support at foia-pal-support@atf.gov. You may also reach out toour FOIA Public Liaison Line at 202-648-7390 for further assistance.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Respectfully,
ATF FOIA Team
Note: This is not a monitored mailbox and replies to thisemail will not be seen or responded to. If you have any questions or concerns,please use the ATF FOIAXpress PAL portal’s correspondence feature to contactour office. You can access the portal by creating an account athttps://foia-pal.atf.gov. Additionally, you can contact the FOIA PublicLiaison at 202-648-7390 for any further assistance and to discuss anyaspect of your request. For technical issues with PAL, please emailfoia-pal-support@atf.gov. Thank you for your understanding.

Dear Mr. Carollo,
We recently attempted to contact you regarding your pendingFOIA request 2024-00141 related to a list of all the films that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has participated in the production of, in any capacity whatsoever, for the year 2021. Any and all such lists, full or partial, would be appreciated and may include, but are not limited to, entertainment liaison (ELO) reports, but we have notreceived a response. This is our final attempt to reach you before closing yourrequest.
If we do not hear from you within three (3) business days,we will be required to close your FOIA request due to lack of communication.
To continue processing your request, please respond via theFOIA Express PAL portal at https://foia-pal.atf.gov. Once you create anaccount, you will be able to view your request and message us directly.
If you encounter any issues creating an account, pleasecontact FOIA PAL Support at foia-pal-support@atf.gov. You may also reach out toour FOIA Public Liaison Line at 202-648-7390 for further assistance.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Respectfully,
ATF FOIA Team

Note: This is not a monitored mailbox and replies to thisemail will not be seen or responded to. If you have any questions or concerns,please use the ATF FOIAXpress PAL portal’s correspondence feature to contactour office. You can access the portal by creating an account athttps://foia-pal.atf.gov. Additionally, you can contact the FOIA PublicLiaison at 202-648-7390 for any further assistance and to discuss anyaspect of your request. For technical issues with PAL, please emailfoia-pal-support@atf.gov. Thank you for your understanding.

Your request is has been assigned to a processor and a search for records has been submitted.

V/R
FOIA Team

Your FOIA request 2023-01687 was fulfilled on 07/30/2024 a final letter and 30 pages were released via email to you at that time.
Since it appears you have not received them please contact our FOIA Public Liaisons, Lynette Carter and Jasmine Bryant, at 202-648-7390 for any further assistance.

V/R
FOIA Team