Connecting The Dots

One of the methods available to the press or any member of the public is open records requests. We did a brief article about it. However, today we are going to go back a few months to a particular incident.

Today we are going to submit a records request to once again request details of what happened at the Bedford House with Chris Webber. There was alleged police misconduct, and I feel we have the right to know. Below, I am including the letter any of you can copy and paste and email along with me.

This is being sent to the Police Department and the Falmouth City Attorney as well as The State Police Dispatch For Falmouth.

________________________________________________________________________________

TO: steve@stevedoanlaw.com, mhart@cityoffalmouth.com, ksp.openrecords@ky.gov

Re: Kentucky Open Records Act Demand — CAD 2025-148791 (“Chris Webber)

Custodian,

This is a formal demand under the Kentucky Open Records Act (“KORA”) for immediate inspection and copies of all public records relating in any way to Computer-Aided Dispatch event CAD 2025-148791, subject “Chris Webber” (including plausible

variants/misspellings).

As you know, all public records are open to any Kentucky resident, exceptions are strictly construed, and agencies must respond within five (5) business days. Legislative Research Commission+2Legislative Research Commission+2

Requested records (all formats; create no new records, just produce what exists):

1. CAD materials: the full CAD event record; call-for-service history; timestamps; unit assignments; GPS/AVL pings; narrative and status changes; disposition; audit/change logs.

2. 911/dispatch audio & logs: original 911 calls (all channels), radio traffic, ring-down/transfer audio, dispatcher notes, and queue reports tied to CAD 2025-148791.

3. Body-worn & in-car video: all body-worn camera and in-car/dash video for every responding/monitoring unit; associated audit trails (start/stop, category/tag edits, user access), EXIF/metadata, and any ingestion/export logs from evidence systems (e.g., Axon Evidence.com, WatchGuard).

4. Fixed or third-party video: any CCTV or third-party video the agency obtained, viewed, or referenced; chain-of-custody or property/evidence logs.

5. Reports & paperwork: incident/offense reports, supplemental narratives, field contact cards, citations, arrest logs, use-of-force forms, evidence/property sheets, and any after-action or supervisor reviews.

6. Communications (all platforms) about this CAD:

Agency email (all accounts), memoranda, letters.

Text/instant messages (SMS/MMS, iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, FB Messenger, Teams/Slack, etc.) used to conduct public business, whether on agency or personal devices/accounts. Kentucky law recognizes such communications as public records when they concern public business; please search accordingly. kyopengov.orgKentucky League of Cities Voicemail, call logs, and calendar entries referencing this CAD.

7. Routing & retention: any records retention schedules/policies applied; holds placed; deletion logs; and any notices to or from the custodian relating to preservation of material responsive to this request.

Kentucky Attorney General Time window

Search from 8-11-2025 through the date of your final search, and include any later-created records that reference or modify the event.

Format, costs, and delivery

Produce electronic copies (original/native format where possible—.mp4/.mov for video; .wav/.mp3 for audio; .eml/.msg for email; .csv/.pdf/.txt for CAD) via email or secure download. Paper is not acceptable unless no electronic copy exists.

Under KRS 61.874, fees for non-commercial requests may not exceed actual reproduction cost; email delivery is typically free. This request is not for a commercial purpose; it is for news-gathering and public-interest reporting. Legislative Research Commissionauditor.ky.gov

Segregation, redaction, and indexing

If you assert any exemption, strictly construe it and segregate and release all reasonably separable portions. Your written response must cite the specific KRS exemption and explain how it applies to each withheld record; provide a redaction log/index sufficient for review. Legislative Research Commission+1

Residency and inspection

I am a resident of the Commonwealth. If inspection is necessary before copying, set a date/time within five (5) days and provide suitable facilities, as required by KRS 61.872. Legislative Research Commission

Custody and referral

If you do not possess custody of any responsive record, identify the proper custodian and forward this request as appropriate, as KRS 61.872(5) requires, and notify me. Legislative Research Commission

Preservation demand (litigation hold)

This letter serves as a formal preservation demand. Suspend any routine deletion or overwriting of responsive records (including body-cam auto-purges, CAD audit roll-offs, and device-level message retention). Kentucky law provides penalties for willful concealment or destruction; courts may award attorney’s fees and per-day penalties for willful withholding. Kentucky Attorney Generalpaducahky.gov

Five-day statutory deadline

Within five (5) business days of receipt, provide:

(a) the records (or a rolling production schedule beginning within 5 days), or

(b) a lawful, specific written denial citing KRS exemptions, or

(c) the inspection date/time (if applicable). Failure to comply will result in an appeal to the Attorney General under KRS 61.880 and, if necessary, action in circuit court. Legislative Research Commission

Please confirm receipt today and identify the assigned custodian/point of contact.

Respectfully,

Chris Collins

The Falmouth Whisper

Resident of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

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This is a bit more pompous than most records requests need to be. However Falmouth, keeps denying, any request. So I wanted to be thorough. You can swap your signature line out with mine and use the same letter.

If enough of us request this record they have a hard time denying any of us and since we will appeal to the attorney general. This will just add weight. Please send this email it only takes a short time.

Whisper One Out