Current through Vol. 41, No. 13, March 15, 2024
(a)
General guidelines. Records of the Department, as defined in
595:1-9-3, will be made available
in accordance with rules
595:1-9-1 through
595:1-9-10. All requests for
records must be in writing and submitted using a form prescribed by the
Department. The forms are available at the Department's principal place of
business or at www.ok.gov/dps. Fees and charges may be collected for copies,
materials, certification, searches, and other activities relating to records as
allowed by law and in accordance with these rules. Requests that do not comply
with these rules may not be fulfilled.
(b)
Principal place of business.
Records may only be obtained from the principal place of business of the
Department of Public Safety, located at 3600 North Martin Luther King Avenue,
Oklahoma City, OK 73111.
(c)
Availability. Requests will be processed, and records will be made
available during regular business hours. Regular business hours shall include
only those dates and times the Department is open to the public. Requests are
processed in the order they are received by the Department; however, prior to
release, records may not be available until they have undergone a review by the
Department's Legal Division.
(d)
Written requests. A request for any Department record made
pursuant to the Oklahoma Open Records Act, 51 O.S. §24A.1, et seq., shall
be submitted in writing using a form prescribed by the Department available
from either the Department's principal place of business or at www.ok.gov/dps.
(1) The request shall include sufficient
information for the Department to conduct a focused, time- efficient
search.
(2) The request should not
be in the form of a question. The Oklahoma Open Records Act, 51 O.S. §
24A.1, et seq., does not require public bodies to answer questions; it requires
agencies to provide copies of records under their control.
(3) Requests that are not in writing or that
fail to provide sufficient information to allow the Department to identify the
record will not be fulfilled. Requests may be submitted by one of the following
methods:
(A)
Email. Information
for obtaining records can be found on the Department's website at
www.ok.gov/dps or by contacting the Public Affairs Office.
(B)
In - person. Requests may be
presented in- person to the Department of Public Safety, 3600 North Martin
Luther King Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73111.
(C)
United States mail. Requests
may be mailed to: Department of Public Safety, P.O. Box 53004, Oklahoma City,
OK 73152-9998.
(D)
Other
delivery methods. Requests may be delivered to the Department of Public
Safety via United Parcel Service (UPS) or FedEx or other third-party delivery
services using the physical address: Department of Public Safety, 3600 North
Martin Luther King Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73111. The Department can receive
from but cannot respond by delivery services other than the United States
Postal Service.
(4) When
the Department is asked to produce records, the Department will search for
records within a default timeframe. The default timeframe will be from the date
of the request and end on the date the search for records is commenced;
however, a party seeking records may specify a different date-range for the
records sought.
(5) Once records
have been identified, those records shall undergo a legal review before
releasing them to the requesting party.
(e)
Delivery of records.
(1) Any applicable costs or fees charged
pursuant to these rules shall be paid prior to the release of any Department
record.
(2) Records responsive to a
request may be picked up in person at the Department of Public Safety, 3600 N.
Martin Luther King Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73111.
(3) Upon request, the Department will mail
records via USPS only. Records will not be delivered to the requesting party
via UPS, FedEx, or other third- party delivery service.
(4) At its discretion, the Department may
make certain records available via electronic delivery. For the purpose of this
subsection, "electronic delivery" shall mean delivery of a digitized or
electronic file to the requesting party via email or by providing access to the
record through a hyperlink.
(5)
Some records may be made available to authorized recipients through a
third-party web service at the discretion of the Department. Use of this
service may require payment of a fee or charge that is separate from any fee or
charge imposed by the Department.
(6) The final format in which a record will
be produced shall be determined by the Department. If the Department does not
maintain a record in an electronic or computerized format, the Department is
not required to convert a record to any particular electronic format for the
convenience of the person requesting record. [Okl. Atty. Gen. Opinion 2006 OK
AG 35].
Amended at 16 Ok Reg
3140, eff 7-12-99; Amended at 21 Ok Reg 2994, eff 7-25-04; Amended at 28 Ok Reg
2062, eff 7-15-11
