CITY OF EAST PROVIDENCE PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST GUIDELINES/PROCEDURE
Pursuant to R.I.G.L. § 38-2-3(d), the City of East Providence has instituted the following procedure to help you request/obtain public records:
1. A request to inspect and/or copy public records of the City of East Providence may be presented by telephone or in writing to the City Solicitor’s Office at 145 Taunton Avenue East Providence, RI 02914. To reach the City Solicitor’s office by telephone, the number is (401) 435-7523. The Regular business hours of East Providence City Hall are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If the request is regarding East Providence Police Department reports/records, the request should be made to the East Providence Police Department Records Division (401) 435-7645.
2. Although not required in order to ensure compliance with the Access to Public Records Act and that you are provided with the public records you seek in an expeditious manner, the City asks that you complete the Public Records Request Form attached. This form is not required if you are seeking records available pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act (R.I.G.L. § 42-35-2) or other documents prepared for or readily available to the public.
3. There are times when the public records you seek are not available at the time of your request. Please be advised that the Access to Public Records Act allows a public body ten (10) business days to respond which can be extended an additional twenty (20) business days for “good cause.” We appreciate your understanding and patience.
4. In accordance with R.I.G.L. § 38-2-4, the City may charge a fee of fifteen ($.15) cents per page for copies and/or fifteen ($15.00) dollars per hour, after the first hour, for the search and/or retrieval of documents. Please be advised that for purposes of search and retrieval costs, multiple requests made by you within thirty (30) days to the City of East Providence shall be considered one (1) request.
5. If, after review of your request, the City of East Providence determines that the requested records are exempt from disclosure for a reason set forth in the Access to Public Records Act, the City reserves the right to claim such exemption.
6. If you feel that you have been denied access to public records, you have the right to petition the Mayor for a review of the determinations made. The Mayor shall make a final determination within ten (10) business days or you can file a review petition with the Attorney General. If you are still not satisfied, you may file a lawsuit in Superior Court.
7. The City of East Providence is not obligated to produce for inspection and/or copying records that are not in possession of the City of East Providence. Moreover, the City of East Providence is not required to reorganize, consolidate, or compile data that is not maintained by the City of East Providence in the form requested at the time the request to inspect the public records was made, except to the extent that such records are in electronic format and the public body would not be unduly burdened in providing such data.
8. The Rhode Island Public Records Act can be found online under Rhode Island General Laws § 38-2-1 and said Act delineates those records that are not public.
The City of East Providence is committed to providing public records in an expeditious and courteous manner, consistent with the Access to Public Records Act.
