TOWNSHIP OF ROBESON

POLICE DEPARTMENT

Berks County, Pennsylvania

Open Records Policy

Open Record Officer

            The Township of Robeson (“Township”) has designated an Open Records Officer for the Township of Robeson Police Department. The Township Police Department’s Open Records Officer may be reached at:

Township of Robeson Police Department

2689 Main Street

Birdsboro, PA  19508

Phone: 610.582.4276   Fax: 610.404.1948

Email:  RobesonPDRTK@robesontownship.com

General

            The established business hours of the Township Police Department Open Records Officer are generally Monday through Friday 7:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M, with the exception of holidays.

All Township Police Department documents deemed public records shall be available for inspection, retrieval, and duplication at the Township Police Department Building during established business hours.

Requests

            Requests shall be made in writing to the Township Police Department Open Records Officer on a form provided by the Township or the form provided by the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. (See attached form)

Fees

Paper copies shall be 25 cents per page per side. The certification of a record is $1 per record. Specialized documents including, but not limited to blue prints, color copies, and non-standard sized documents shall be charged the actual cost of production. If mailing is requested, the cost of postage will be charged. Requestor may be required to pay the amount due for postage and reproduction of the documents before they are provided.  The Township Police Department shall require prepayment before reproduction of the documents if the total fees are estimated to exceed $100.

Response

            The Township Police Department shall make a good-faith effort to provide the requested public record(s) as promptly as possible. The Open Records Officer shall cooperate with those requesting records to review and/or duplicate original Township Police Department documents while taking reasonable measure to protect Township Police Department documents from the possibility of theft, damage, and/or modification.

            The Open Records Officer shall review all written requests for access to public records. As soon as possible, but no later than five business days after receiving a written request to access public records, the Open Records Officer shall respond to such requests in writing consistent with Act 3 of 2008, the Right-to-Know Law.

If access to a record is denied, the response shall include a reason for denial as stipulated in Act 3 of 2008, the Right-to-Know Law.

Contact Information for Appeals

           If a written request is denied or deemed denied, the requester may file an appeal in writing to:

Executive Director

Office of Open Records

333 Market Street

16^th Floor

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101-2234

           Appeals of criminal records shall be made to the District Attorney's Office of Berks County:                                                                                                                            

 Dennis Skayhan

Berks County Services Center
633 Court Street, 5th Floor
Reading, PA 19601

Phone: (610) 478-6000

Appeals Process

The appeal shall be filed within 15 business days of the mailing date of the Township or Township Police Department’s response or within 15 business days of a deemed denial. The appeal shall state the grounds upon which the requester asserts the records is a public record and shall address any grounds stated by the Township Police Department for delaying or denying the request.