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RIGHT-TO-KNOW LAW REQUEST POLICY
This written policy outlines the proper procedures for
requesting records from the Swatara Township Police
Department under Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law, 65
P.S. §§ 66.1-66.9. Questions regarding this policy
should be directed to the Right-to-Know Officer, Swatara
Township Police Department, at (717) 564-2550.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Under the Right-to-Know Law, investigative reports
(ie. incident reports and police reports)
are exempted from the definition of a “public
record”, therefore, any such request will be
denied.
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All requests for records must be in writing and
signed by the requester. The request should
identify or describe the records sought with
sufficient specificity to enable the Swatara
Township Police Department to ascertain which
records are being requested and shall include a name
and address to which the Swatara Township Police
Department should address its response. The Swatara
Township Police Department will not accept oral or
anonymous requests for records.
A Right-To-Know
request form in MS Word Document format is available.
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All requests for records shall be addressed as
follows:
Swatara Township
Police Department
599 Eisenhower Blvd.
Harrisburg, PA 17111
ATTN: Right-To-Know Officer
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All requests shall be in writing and shall be sent
to the Swatara Township Police Department by mail,
facsimile to (717) 564-7638 or delivered in person
during the Swatara Township Police Department
regular business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except holidays and official
office closings. The Swatara Township Police
Department will not accept verbal or email requests
for records. As soon as possible, but no later than
five business days after receiving a written request
to access public records, the Right-to-Know Officer
or his designee shall respond to the request in
accordance with the requirements of Act 100 of 2002,
the Open Records Law.
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Under the Right-to-Know Law,
investigative reports
are exempted from the definition of a “public
record”, therefore, any such request will be
denied. Criminal history information is not
accessible under the Right-to-Know Law, but may be
obtained through the submission of a Request for
Criminal Record Check, Form SP 4-164, which is
available on the Pennsylvania State Police website (www.psp.state.pa.us)
all such requests will be referred to the
Pennsylvania State Police. The Swatara Township
Police Department does not possess or retain
investigative or administrative information for
other state or local agencies; therefore, such
requests will be denied.
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If a written request for records is granted, the
following fees will be charged to the request:
Copies:
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Photocopies |
$0.25
per copy |
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Certified photocopies |
$1.00
per copy |
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Redaction |
$1.00
per page |
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PC
Diskettes |
$1.00
per diskette |
Postage:
Records fitting into standard letter
envelope - Actual Cost
Other types of mailing - Actual cost
A
“photocopy” is either a single-sided copy or one
side of a double-sided copy of a standard 8.5” x 11”
page. “Redaction” is the eradication of a portion
of a document while retaining the remainder where
the public record contains information subject to
access as well as information not subject to
access. Custodial fees will be charged at 1.3 times
the record custodian’s normal rate of pay,
calculated on an hourly basis, at fifteen minute
intervals rounded to the next higher interval. The
Swatara Township Police Department may require a
requester to prepay an estimate of the fees listed,
if the fees required to fulfill the request are
expected to exceed $100. All costs must be paid by
certified check or money order made payable to
Swatara Township. The Township Board of
Commissioners may waive the fees for duplication of
a public record when the Township deems it is in the
public interest to do so, or at their discretion.
David D. Bogdanovic
Chief of Police
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