Williams - September 13, 2023

Request

From: Chris Williams
Date: September 13, 2023 at 4:35:05 PM EDT
To: "Fisk, JoAnne" <JoAnne.Fisk@biddefordmaine.org>
Cc: Judy Meyer <jmeyer@sunjournal.com>
Subject: Sun Journal FOAA


Dear Acting Chief Fisk:
 

The Sun Journal requests, under Maine's Freedom of Access Act, access to the following information contained in your police department's dispatch logs and police reports for years 2012 through 2022:

  • all gun-related (including reports and confirmed accounts of shots fired) dispatch calls;
  • violent crimes involving firearms;
  • firearm-involved calls resulting in personal injury;
  • firearm-involved calls resulting in property damage; and
  • firearms reported stolen.

Please acknowledge receipt of this request within five business days and we ask that fees be waived in the public interest, as permitted under FOAA. If you decline to waive fees, please tell us why and please also produce an estimate of costs necessary to fulfill this request before producing any records.

 

Thank you,

Christopher Williams 

Staff Writer, Legal Affairs 

Sun Journal 

O:207-689-2803 

metln.org

Response

From: Lamontagne, Danica 
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2023 3:54 PM
To: Fisk, JoAnne <JoAnne.Fisk@Biddefordmaine.org>
Cc: cwilliams@sunjournal.com
Subject: RE: Sun Journal FOAA

Good afternoon Mr. Williams,

Thank you for your Freedom of Access Act request. I have spoken with the Chief of Police to review the items that you are seeking. 

Due to the breadth of the request and the number of years covered, she has anticipated that your request will take about 8 hours of staff time. The City of Biddeford provides the first two hours of work on a FOAA request free of charge, and there is a fee of $15 per hour for each additional hour of staff time. As such, the estimated fee for the request is $90. 

The City of Biddeford follows this fee policy for all Freedom of Information Act requests and does not issue waivers for any individual or organization. However, we are happy to work with you to narrow your search if there is a specific incident or piece of information that you are looking for. A narrower request is likely to reduce the amount of staff time that will be taken on the request.

Please advise me if you accept this fee and would like to move forward with your request. It is estimated that documents would be compiled and ready for inspection about two weeks from the date that we receive confirmation to proceed with the request.

 

Best,

Danica Lamontagne

City of Biddeford

Asst. to the City Manager

danica.lamontagne@biddefordmaine.org

207-282-8423