HomeMy WebLinkAboutACLU POLICE DEPARTMENT
CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS
14168 OAK PARK BLVD. NORTH • P.O. BOX 2007 LINDYSWANSON
OAK PARK HEIGHTS, MINNESOTA 55082 CHIEF OF POLICE
TELEPHONE: (651) 439 -4723
FAX: (651) 439 -3639
EMERGENCY: 911
August 1, 2007
American Civil Liberties Union
Of Minnesota
Attn: Ms. Teresa Nelson
450 North $yn&W, fit•., $Vjtc 234
St. Paul, MN 55104
Dear Ms. Nelson:
In response to your request for information involving the use of taxers by the Oak Park
Heights. folic Vcpl_.., I have cztcloscd a copy of ft,, dept's Use of Face. policy, We use.
the training manual supplied by the Laser manufacturer. The number of times the taxer
has been ftleycd is nQt readily available. I believe, we have dcplmd, the wer ap mflr
than two times during the last three years that they have been made available to Our
gTtcers. Our records in this issue are not database searchable.
I
I believe I have answered any and all of your requests included in your recent letter dated
July 3I. X007,
rely,
Lindy Swanson
�bie�o� �'�litie
CHARLES SAMUELSON
EXEC UTI VE' DI RECTOR
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIHuNwl
of MINNESOTA
July 31, 2007
Oak Park Heights Police Department
ATTN: Chief of Police
14168 Oak Park Blvd N, P.O. Box 2007
Oak Park Heights, Minnesota 55082
Dear Chief.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota is currently conducting a study of practices in
police and sheriffs' departments throughout the state. For that purpose, we are contacting
individual law enforcement offices for certain data.
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES
UNION OF MINNESOTA Pursuant to the Data Practices Act, Minn. Stats. §§ 13.01 - 13.99, I hereby request:
FOUNDATION
450 NORTH SYNDICATE STREET
SUITE 230 1. A copy of your current polic(ies) dealing with the use of force, with particular reference
SAINT PAUL, MN 55104
T/651.645.4097 to the use of tasers;
F/651.647.5948
WWW.ACLU- MN.ORG
2. Training manuals, procedures, plans, and any other materials used in training, and/or
continuing education, on the use of tasers;
3. The number of times tasers have been used by your department, for every year since you
began using tasers (if you have such statistics readily available);
4. A description of how your use of force records are organized. For instance, whether
they are in a database and searchable, or whether copies are simply kept in individual
incident reports; and
5. If your department currently does not use tasers, please inform me of that. If you plan to
use tasers in the future, please tell me when you will begin using them.
As you know, the Bata Practices Act ailows a charge of $0.25 for the first one hundred (100)
pages of information photocopied. If the cost of providing these items exceeds $25.00, please
contact our office prior to completing this request.
If the information is not immediately available, the ACLU of Minnesota will expect a written
acknowledgement of the request within ten (10) business days. If an acknowledgement is not
received within that period, it will be assumed that the request has been denied, and appropriate
action will be taken. Please contact our law clerk, Jessica Davis, at (414) 736 -0993 if you have
any questions regarding this request.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
-- r k r /
Teresa Nelson
Legal Counsel
ECKBERG�
LAMMERS I i
AT TORNEY-r AT LAw 1809 Northwestern Avenue, Suite 110
Stillwater, Minnesota 55082
(651) 439 -2878
Fax (651) 439 -2923
Writer's Direct Dial:
www.eckberglammers.com
(651) 351 -2118
Writer's E -mail:
mvierling@eckbergiammers.com
August 6, 2007
Lindy Swanson
Chief of Police
City of Oak Park Heights
14168 Oak Park Boulevard North
Oak Park Heights, MN 55082
Dear Chief:
We have received a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota requesting production
of certain items of government data. A copy of that letter is attached dated July 31, as was sent to
another police department and routed through this office from the League of Minnesota Cities. This has
been a mass mailing apparently by the Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota to police departments
throughout the state.
Relative to request of specific documents, itemizing in Requests No. 1 and 2, we view those as
government data requests that should be responded to by your department following your standard
policies on government data requests and responses.
As it affects Items 3, 4 and 5, they are not generically government requests for data in terms of document
requests, but requests for information from your department with regard to their topic, i.e. use of tasers.
As it affects Item No. 3 requesting the number of times the tasers have been used by your department, if
you have statistics readily available, you may certainly supply those to them. If statistics are not readily
available, please state same in your responding letter to the American Civil Liberties Union of
Minnesota. As to Item 4 requesting a description as to how your use of force records are organized,
please keep your response directed to a response specifically identified as whether or not you have data
base collection availability of such records or whether or not no such data base is maintained by your
department except by individual incident reports. As it requests Request No. 5, 1 understand your
department currently has tasers available for use by your police officers and, thus, I would expect no
response from your department relative to that item.
ECKBERG, LAbtMERS, BRIGGS. WOLFF 8 VIERLING. PLLP
Family Law / Divorce • Business and Commercial Law • Criminal Law Personal Injury / Wrongful Death
Estate Planning / Probate • Real Estate • Land Use Law • Mediation Municipal Law Civil Litigation
Please prepare a copy of your request to the Americ Civil Lib ies Union of Minnesota and provide
that directly to this office via e -mail or fax.
ours ry truly,
Mark J. V'ierling
MJV /sdb
Enclosure