Daily News | A beginner’s guide to requesting public records on Pa. law enforcement
The 2017 law requires requests for these records be made within 60 days of their creation and include information about the recording and the requester.Incident reports, criminal records, and crime data are some of the most common records requested from law enforcement agencies, Wagenseller said, but residents can ask for a variety of other documents, from policy and training manuals to past Right-to-Know requests.
If the release of a record could threaten public safety or reveal the identity of an undercover officer, it is also exempt. A 2011 appeals case denied a requester access to the Pennsylvania State Police’s policy regarding confidential informants on those very grounds, Burke said. First, ensure the records you’re looking for exist and learn which agency maintains them. Some information might already be available on agency websites.
“You can’t go on a fishing expedition with a net, you have to go with a hook,” Wagenseller said, remembering a saying she’d heard before. “You can’t just ask for everything under the sun.”. Make sure to include how you want the records — whether that’s viewing them in person or receiving copies by email or mail — and your preferred file format.Under the Right-to-Know Law, agencies must respond to a records request within five business days.
The OOR’s 2021 annual report shows that of the 2,384 appeals filed against local agencies, 10.5% were against police departments. Appeals involving the State Police and Department of Corrections made up 30.6% of state agency appeals.
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