Sarah L. Ryley v. Dartmouth Police Department (SPR 20222375)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Manza Arthur Supervisor of Records October 24, 2022 SPR22/2375 Diane Andre Keeper of Records Records Division Dartmouth Police Department 1390 Tucker Road Dartmouth, MA 02747 Dear Ms. Andre: I have received your petition on behalf of the Dartmouth Police Department (Department) seeking permission to charge for time spent segregating or redacting responsive records. G. L. c. 66, § 10(d)(iv). As required by law, it is my understanding that the Department furnished a copy of this petition to the requestor, Sarah Ryley, of The Boston Globe. Id. In a request dated October 6, 2022, Ms. Ryley requested: [1] Applications for licenses to sell, rent, or lease firearms, rifles, shotguns, and machine guns; to perform gunsmithing services; or to sell ammunition; including any records during the course of the application process, such as correspondence and attachments[;] [2] Inspections, and any records provided to your agency as a result of inspections[;] [3] Referrals and complaints from any person or agency on potential violations of federal or state laws, and records of any action taken[;] [4] Investigations [5] Records of enforcement actions by your agency, or any other agency that are in your possession. In an email dated October 20, 2022, Ms. Ryley states, “I’d like to modify my request to reduce the need for a fee….Could you please send just the most recent application for a state dealer’s license? (The ammunition and gunsmithing applications aren’t necessary.)” In an email dated October 20, 2022, the Department states that “[d]ue to the modification on the request [, the Department] no longer wishes to [p]etition for [f]ees.” One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, Massachusetts 02108 • (617) 727-2832• Fax: (617) 727-5914 sec.state.ma.us/pre • pre@sec.state.ma.us

Diane Andre SPR22/2375 Page 2 October 24, 2022 Conclusion In light of the above, it is unnecessary to opine on the Department’s petition to charge for time spent segregating or redacting responsive records. It is my understanding that on October 21, 2022, the Department submitted another fee petition that is currently open as SPR22/2397. This office encourages Ms. Ryley and the Department to continue to communicate to facilitate providing records more efficiently and affordably. See G. L. c. 66, § 10(b)(vii). Sincerely, Manza Arthur Supervisor of Records cc: Sarah Ryley