In order to facilitate prompt access to public records and comply with Ohio law, all ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ University Police Department (¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD) employees and persons seeking to inspect or receive copies of public records of the ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD must adhere to this policy. Other departments of the University are not public offices and are not subject to public records disclosure requirements.
Requests to inspect or copy public records may be made during regular University business hours of 8:30 AM-5:00 PM, Monday-Friday by contacting
Jeff Daberko
¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD Chief of Police and Records Custodian
Phone: (216) 397-1974
Email: jdaberko@jcu.edu
¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ University
1 ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ Blvd.
University Heights, OH 44118
If a request is made to any other University department or office, University staff is expected to forward the request to the ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD as soon as possible for processing the request. Requests can be made in person, by telephone, or in writing, including email. An optional records request form to assist the requester and ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD to better understand the nature of the request and respond is available here. A requester does not need to provide his or her identity or his or her intent for the public records when making a request. However, ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD may ask for clarification as to the requester’s identity or intended use of the public records to assist in responding to a request and to enhance ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD’s ability to identify, locate and deliver the requested records.
The requester should identify the records sought with sufficient clarity and specificity in order to allow the ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD to identify, retrieve, and review the records. If the request is ambiguous or overly broad or if the ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD has difficulty reasonably identifying the public records being requested, the ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD may deny the request, but will provide the requester the opportunity to revise the request by informing the requester of the manner in which public records are ordinarily retained and retrieved. For example, a request for any and all records containing any reference to a specific individual or subject may be considered overly broad and further specifications may be requested to comply with the request.
The ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD may decline to create a record that contains the information requested if the record does not already exist.
Records may be subject to applicable exemptions from disclosure under Ohio or federal law (including, but not limited to, Confidential Law Enforcement Investigatory Records, student education records protected by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), records containing information governed by a right to privacy, and records that are confidential under Ohio or federal law).
The ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD will make a reasonable effort to respond promptly to requests for the inspection of records that are clearly public and easily accessible. The ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD will make an effort to respond within a reasonable period of time to a request for copies of records that are clearly public and easily accessible. When a request is non-routine, such as requiring extensive research or review, or is voluminous, the ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD generally will follow-up with a response as soon as possible acknowledging the receipt of the request and indicating that any public records will be made available within a reasonable time period.
Once a request is made, the ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD will make the requested public records available for inspection promptly. The time period within which records will be made available to a requester will depend upon a number of factors, including the number of records requested, the ease of retrieval, the medium on which the records are stored, the need for any legal review, and the need for redaction. A requester may inspect the requested records during normal business hours: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday-Friday, with the exception of published holidays.
If requested, the ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD will provide copies of records within a reasonable period of time. The requester may choose the medium on which the records are to be copied. The ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD may charge a requester the cost of producing copies and if the copies are mailed to the requester, the ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD may charge the requester for the actual costs of postage/delivery. The ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD may require advance payment of the costs associated with copying the records and delivering the records to the requester.
If the ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD denies access to a record, in whole or in part, the ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD will provide the requester with an explanation, including legal authority, stating the reasons why the record was not provided. If the initial request was made in writing, the response will also be in writing. If there are any redactions, the ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD will notify the requester or make the redaction plainly visible. Each redaction will be accompanied by an explanation, including legal authority. ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD will make reasonable efforts to work with the requester to reach a resolution as to any records request, consistent with legal obligations under applicable law. When appropriate, the Ohio Attorney General Office’s mediation services may be utilized to reach a resolution when a dispute or problem arises regarding a records request.
¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD’s records are subject to records retention schedules. The ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½PD’s current schedules are available which is readily available to the public.
There will be a public meeting of the ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ University Records Commission on Wednesday February 28th, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. in room #115 of Rodman HallÂ