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NYPD Thinks Freedom Of Information Law Is <em>Real</em> Cute
By
Lauren Evans
Published Apr 23, 2013
Modified Apr 23, 2013
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Gothamist
By
Lauren Evans
Published Apr 23, 2013
Modified Apr 23, 2013
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Vampire Weekend groupie Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio is not pleased with the NYPD's level of transparency, giving the agency a dreaded "F" grade on his Transparency Report Card based on the high number of FOIL requests that have gone unanswered.
According to the report [pdf], the Public Advocate sent 10,000 requests to 35 city agencies over a three month period in 2011. The NYPD, as well as the Department of Environmental Protection, were shown to be the two worst offenders, with the NYPD leaving 577 requests unanswered as of November 14, 2011.
In most cases, City agencies were able to provide a spreadsheet detailing FOIL requests that were received and the status or outcome of these requests. The New York Police Department (NYPD) and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) - the two agencies with the highest number of reported FOIL requests - were notable exceptions; both failed to provide the requested information in full. NYPD indicated that the department did not have all the requested information for January-March 2011 and therefore instead provided data on FOIL requests received May 1-July 31, 2011.
Still, the DEP managed to receive a "C" grade, while the only other agency to fail completely was the New York City Housing Authority.
Is that all? No! The NYPD is also facing a lawsuit from Remapping Debate, a non-profit public policy news website that is suing the agency for, you guessed it, failing to respond to FOIL requests. According to a statement, the organization requested information on how the police department addresses applications for "parade" permits, such as those required for protests, as well as sound-device permits, used for sound-amplification equipment, so that it could study how the issuing of such permits has changed over time. Remapping Debate says that exactly none of those records have been produced.
“The documents sought are important to facilitating public understanding of how New York City has treated those seeking to exercise their First Amendment rights," Christopher Dunn, the associate director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. "Unfortunately, Remapping Debate's experience of having received no documents more than 10 months after the requests were made is all too typical of how the NYPD violates its Freedom of Information Law obligations.”
We'll see if this lawsuit is more successful than the Gray Lady's attempt earlier this year.
Tagged
bill de blasio
FOIL
nypd
transparency
Lauren Evans
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