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1. What kind of information may I obtain?

•Dispatch Reports - the most common type of information requested are dispatch reports. Dispatch reports contain information from our dispatch system. These reports are the time-stamped activity logs for each event. They have historically been used primarily by emergency service personnel so they are sometimes hard to understand. This is NOT a report taken by an emergency responder, those must be obtained from the agency that responded to your event. Many people request these reports mistakenly thinking that they are requesting the report that a law enforcement officer made for their event. If approved for release, dispatch reports have the lowest cost and can be delivered by postal mail, Email or fax (if the fax is monitored by the requesting person).

•Audio Recordings - Every telephone in our dispatch center is recorded. These recordings are available through the Freedom Of Information Act. State law requires us to keep recordings for a minimum of 60 days, but we typically keep them longer. Telephone recordings take considerably longer to locate and copy than dispatch reports and will extend the time that your request takes to process and will increase the cost.

•Other types of information - Any information that does not meet exemption criteria under the South Carolina Code of Laws can be requested. If you are looking for information that does not fall into the two categories above, please call to inquire or submit a written request and you will be contacted.

2. How do I request information about an incident?

We must receive your request in writing. To make the process easier, we have a form on our Web site that you can fill-out and submit to us. You may write your own letter or email as long as it contains all of the required information. You must be specific about what kind of information that you want, and you must provide specific information for the event to be located (address, date/time, the agency that responded, etc.)

Our mailing address is:
Spartanburg Communications / 9-1-1
Attn: FOIA Fulfillment
PO Box 5666
Spartanburg SC 29304-5666

Our fax number is (864) 596-2382

3. How long will it take to receive the information that I am requesting?

We like to fill requests as soon as possible and in accordance with the SC Freedom of Information Act. We receive dozens of requests each week from citizens, attorneys, emergency personnel, investigators, and many other sources. As you can imagine, this creates a very large work-load for the few employees who can retrieve such information. We are, however, mindful that you want the information as soon as possible and we want to make every effort to provide it to you in a timely manor.

4. What is the process of approval, denial and fulfillment of my request?

1. The request is received by the Communications / 9-1-1 department in writing.
2. The request is reviewed by the Communications/9-1-1 Department with input from any involved agency(s) to determine if any exemption to the release of the information is applicable.
3. The request is forwarded to the County attorney's office for review of any applicable exemptions and/or for release.
4. We will contact you to acknowledge the receipt of your request and about the costs of your request, along with specific instructions for the remittance of payment or any other task that you need to complete, in accordance with the SC Freedom of Information Act. If a request is to be denied, you will receive written notification of the reason for denial in accordance with the SC Freedom of Information Act.

•When the Communications / 9-1-1 department is notified that payment has been received (or when we receive payment if it is sent directly to us), work begins to locate, copy and prepare the information.

•When the information has been prepared, it will be mailed to you (unless you requested another method of delivery).

5. In what format(s) can I receive the information and what are the delivery options?

•Formats - Dispatch reports can be printed and/or put into PDF format. Audio files are saved as .wav files. Any information that is put onto CD media is done so for use in a PC and typically does not work in CD audio players. If you do not specify a preference, dispatch reports will be printed and mailed and audio files will be put onto a CD and mailed.

•Postal mail - By default, information is delivered to you using the mailing address information that you provide in the request. You may request an alternate delivery method (listed below).

• Email - If you prefer (and indicate so on your request), some types of information can be emailed to you. Dispatch reports can be delivered in PDF format and small, single audio files can sometimes be sent via Email. Before sending information to an Email address, the address and recipient will be verified. If we can not verify the address, or if we send a verification email and do not receive a reply, the information will be put onto a CD and mailed to you.

•Fax - If you prefer (and indicate so on your request), dispatch reports can be faxed to you in some cases. Information is not faxed unless (1) you verify - at the time it is sent - that you are standing by the receiving fax machine to securely receive it as it is transmitted or (2) the fax machine is your personal device or it is in a secure location (such as your private office).

•Other - In accordance with the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, you may be permitted to visit our office to inspect the materials of interest if you do not wish to have a copy of it. This is rarely chosen as an option, but is offered if you wish to only view the information on our systems. This should be clearly indicated on your request and requires some preparation to locate the information before-hand. Appointments are set at the convenience of our staff. It is also time consuming because the raw data in its original format is sometimes not easily understood and requires a great deal of explanation. In accordance with the SC FOIA there is a charge for preparation time and time spent by staff with the requester, at $20 per hour. If after reviewing files and recordings the requester wishes to have copies or recordings made there will be a fee for that as well.

6. How much will my request cost?

•The South Carolina Freedom of Information Act allows for the establishment and collection of fees, not to exceed the actual costs, for the search and preparation of information requested.

•Each request's cost is calculated based on the estimated time that it will take to search for and prepare the information; the costs of CDs, sleeves, mailers, printed pages, postage; and any other actual cost. All costs are actual or less, Spartanburg County does not make a profit on the labor or materials used.

•The current hourly rate charged for labor is $20. Printed pages are $0.04 each, CDs are $1.00 (this includes protective envelope), and postage is $0.44 for standard envelopes (larger or specialty envelopes will incur an additional charge).

•The majority of requests for information from Spartanburg County, on a single emergency event, cost less than $25 (for dispatch reports & telephone audio recordings).