Kamara, Ibrahim v. Suffolk County District Attorney's Office (SPR 20260524)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Manza Arthur Supervisor of Records February 24, 2026 SPR26/0524 Jacob Gunderson Records Access Officer Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office One Bulfinch Place, Suite 300 Boston, MA 02114 Dear Mr. Gunderson: I have received the petition of Ibrahim Kamara appealing the response of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office (Office) to a request for public records. See G. L. c. 66, § 10A; see also 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). On November 14, 2025, Mr. Kamara requested: [1] Surveillance Video Footage Any and all surveillance video, body-worn camera footage, third-party video footage, or CCTV recordings collected, reviewed, downloaded, or logged by the Boston Police Department relating to Case Number 252014671, including but not limited to: [a] USPS Mattapan Station [An identified address], Mattapan, MA 02126 Rear parking lot / loading area [b] Jamaica’s Best Restaurant II [An identified address], Boston, MA 02126 Rear parking lot [c] Any cameras operated or accessed by BPD or third parties that capture the above locations on or about February 21–22, 2023, between 11:00 PM and 1:00 AM. [2] Investigative Records Please provide: [a] [An identified officer’s] supplemental report(s) and all drafts[;] [b] Notes, emails, or correspondence by any BPD personnel regarding the case[;] [c] Any record indicating that BPD retrieved footage from USPS or Jamaica’s Best[;] 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

Jacob Gunderson SPR26/0524 Page 2 February 24, 2026 [d] Any record showing that video originally existed but was overwritten, deleted, or lost[;] [e] Any dispatch logs, incident logs, or computer-aided dispatch (CAD) data[.] [3] Chain-of-Custody & Audit Logs [a] Any logs showing access to video, timestamps, officer log-ins, or retrieval attempts[;] [b] Any record showing whether Officer Sanon or any BPD employee viewed video footage and the date/time[.] Previous Appeal The requested records were the subject of a previous appeal. See SPR26/0267 Determination of the Supervisor of Records (February 5, 2026). In my February 5th determination, I learned the Office had provided Mr. Kamara with a supplemental response to his request. The Office responded on February 4, 2026. Unsatisfied with the Office’s response, Mr. Kamara petitioned this office and this appeal, SPR26/0524, was opened as a result. The Public Records Law The Public Records Law strongly favors disclosure by creating a presumption that all governmental records are public records. G. L. c. 66, § 10A(d); 950 C.M.R. 32.03(4). “Public records” is broadly defined to include all documentary materials or data, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received by any officer or employee of any agency or municipality of the Commonwealth, unless falling within a statutory exemption. G. L. c. 4, § 7(26). It is the burden of the records custodian to demonstrate the application of an exemption in order to withhold a requested record. G. L. c. 66, § 10(b)(iv); 950 C.M.R. 32.06(3); see also Dist. Attorney for the Norfolk Dist. v. Flatley, 419 Mass. 507, 511 (1995) (custodian has the burden of establishing the applicability of an exemption). To meet the specificity requirement a custodian must not only cite an exemption, but must also state why the exemption applies to the withheld or redacted portion of the responsive record. If there are any fees associated with a response a written, good faith estimate must be provided. G. L. c. 66, § 10(b)(viii); see also 950 C.M.R. 32.07(2). Once fees are paid, a records custodian must provide the responsive records. The Office’s February 4th Response On February 4, 2026, the Office provided some records and stated: …the Office has now produced all responsive records in its possession.

Jacob Gunderson SPR26/0524 Page 3 February 24, 2026 Enclosed with this email, you will find all the responsive materials available to you. Please note that this production includes one privilege log, which documents our justifications for redacting the materials. Please note that the following requested items were not found within the case file received by our Office: [1] Surveillance Video Footage from - USPS Mattapan Station - Jamaica’s Best Restaurant II - Cameras operated or accessed by BPD or third parties [2] Records documenting whether such video was reviewed, obtained, transmitted, or deleted [3] Notes, emails, or correspondence by any BPD personnel regarding the case [4] Any record indicating that BPD retrieved footage from USPS or Jamaica’s Best [5] Any record showing that video originally existed but was overwritten, deleted, or lost [6] Any dispatch logs, incident logs, or computer-aided dispatch (CAD) data [7] Any logs showing access to video, timestamps, officer log-ins, or retrieval attempts [8] Any record showing whether Officer Sanon or any BPD employee viewed video footage and the date/time [9] EMS Records/Any medical related records Current Appeal In his appeal petition, Mr. Kamara contends: The materials provided appeared limited in scope and did not clearly describe the systems searched, custodians consulted, or whether additional categories of records exist within the DA’s possession, custody, or control. Accordingly, I submitted a supplemental email to the custodian requesting clarification regarding: • the scope of the DA’s search; • what records were requested from and/or received from Dorchester BMC; and • whether any records exist reflecting communications or handling of the requested categories (including video-related, EMS-related, or medical-related materials). As of today, February 13, 2026, I have not received any response to that supplemental clarification request.

Jacob Gunderson SPR26/0524 Page 4 February 24, 2026 Additional Records The duty to comply with requests for records extends to those records that exist and are in the possession, custody, or control of the custodian of records at the time of the request. See G. L. c. 66, § 10(a)(ii). Under the Public Records Law, a public employee is not required to answer questions, or do research, or create documents in response to questions. See G. L. c. 66, § 10(a); 32 Op. Att’y Gen. 157, 165 (May 18, 1977). In accordance with the Public Records Law, custodians are expected to use their superior knowledge of the records in their custody to assist requestors in obtaining the desired information. See 950 C.M.R. 32.04(5). Based on issues raised in Mr. Kamara’s appeal, it is unclear whether the Office possesses additional responsive records. Specifically, the Office must clarify whether it possesses records “reflecting communications or handling of the requested categories[.]” To the extent that additional records exist, I find the Office must provide them in a manner consistent with the Public Records Law or identify an exemption that applies to withhold the records from disclosure. G. L. c. 66, § 10(b). The Office must clarify this matter. Conclusion Accordingly, the Office is ordered to provide Mr. Kamara with a response to the request, provided in a manner consistent with this order, the Public Records Law and its Regulations within ten (10) business days. A copy of any such response must be provided to this office. It is preferable to send an electronic copy of the response to this office at pre@sec.state.ma.us. Mr. Kamara may further appeal the substantive nature of the Office’s response within ninety (90) days. See 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). Sincerely, Manza Arthur Supervisor of Records cc: Ibrahim Kamara