Does Your Name Appear in the Spy
Files?
Spy Files Available Again at Denver Police Department for 90 days
only
The Denver Police Department is once again providing an opportunity
for individuals and organizations to find out if their names appear
in the Spy Files. As part of the agreement to resolve the ACLU's lawsuit,
the police department will provide this opportunity for a 90-day period,
ending August 5, 2003.
Copies of the Spy Files will be provided, without charge, to the subjects
of the files. The names of other individuals will be redacted to protect
their privacy.
The Denver Police Department began a similar program of disclosure
in September, 2002, which continued through the end of the year. As
of January 31, 2003, the Department had stopped honoring requests from
members of the public to review or copy their Spy Files.
The settlement agreement does not spell out the details of how the
revived process of disclosure will work. Nevertheless, Lt. Judy Will,
Commander of the Intelligence Unit, has said that the police will follow
the same procedures that prevailed earlier and would use the same forms.
Click here to read the text of
the Denver Police Department's procedures.
To request a file, individuals must fill out the form called Denver
Police Department Request for Intelligence File. They must check
whether they are requesting a file for an individual or a group. All
persons requesting files will be required to provide a copy of a photo
ID.
To request a file for a group or organization, an individual must fill
out an additional form called Denver
Police Department Affidavit of Representation. The person asserting
that he or she is a representative of the group must sign the form,
and the signature must be notarized.
Requests for intelligence files can be made in person between the hours
of 9 am and 5 pm at the Denver Police Department, 1331 Cherokee Street
in Denver.
Requests can also be made by mail. Address them to:
Lt. Judith K. Will
Denver Police Department,
Intelligence Unit
1331 Cherokee Street
Denver, Colorado 80204-2787
If you have any questions, phone Lt. Will at 720-913-6535.
Persons who obtain their files are encouraged to send copies of them
to the ACLU if they are willing to let the ACLU make them public. Send
copies to:
Spy Files
ACLU of Colorado
400 Corona Street
Denver, Colorado 80218
