Chae H. An – Potential Open records violations in Georgia – Georgia State Patrol

The song in the credits “Don’t give me up” by Shields of Shame

Complaint to the AG on GSP again!! Submitted 3.20.25 Open records complaint – https://law.georgia.gov/key-issues/open-government/open-government-complaint

The complaint was also sent to the following recipients at the Attorney generals office

ccarr@law.ga.gov ksettlemire@law.ga.gov WBanks@law.ga.gov Bburton@law.ga.gov Jfowler@law.ga.gov tJohnson@law.ga.gov Rleigh@law.ga.gov jmooney@law.ga.gov kmurray@law.ga.gov Lpinkston-pope@law.ga.gov dwalsh@law.ga.gov jwatson@law.ga.gov lwinkles@law.ga.gov eporter@law.ga.gov

Georgia Attorney General Open Records Act Complaint

To:
Office of the Attorney General of Georgia
Open Government Coordinator
Email: openrecords@law.ga.gov
Address: 40 Capitol Square SW, Atlanta, GA 30334

From:
Billy Blume

Date: March 20, 2025

Subject: Formal Complaint Against Georgia Department of Public Safety for Violations of the Georgia Open Records Act

My request sent Feb 15, 2025

“I am requesting records related to trooper unit 90 Trooper 90 roams the Taliaferro county zone. 

Outstanding: All dash cam for 9.22.24, from his entire shift. 

Outstanding: all public complaints disciplinary file any Garrity warnings on file for duration of employment  any Miranda warnings on file for duration of employment  Adult arrest history, all of the arrests the trooper has made”

Dear Open Government Coordinator,

I am submitting this complaint regarding the Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS) and its violations of the Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq.) in response to my Open Records Request submitted on February 15, 2025.

DPS has failed to comply with statutory requirements, including:

1. Unlawful withholding of dash cam footage without legal justification.
2. Failure to respond within the three-business-day deadline.
3. Improper denial of disciplinary records and complaints.
4. Excessive and unreasonable fees for a database search.

I request that the Attorney General’s Office investigate these violations and take corrective action to ensure compliance with Georgia’s public records laws.

1. Failure to Respond Within the Three-Day Statutory Deadline

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71(b)(1)(A), an agency must respond within three business days by:

• Providing the records, or
• Giving a timeline for fulfillment.

DPS acknowledged my request but failed to produce any records except for a single image, despite the fact that many of the requested records should be readily available. Delays without legitimate justification violate O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71(b)(1)(A).

2. Improper Withholding of Dash Cam Footage Without Legal Justification

DPS improperly denied access to all requested dash cam footage by wrongfully citing the prosecutorial exemptionunder O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(4) without first determining:

1. Whether the footage is actually part of an ongoing criminal case.
2. Whether the footage would interfere with prosecution.

DPS is using the exemption as a blanket excuse without verifying its applicability. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(b), agencies must release non-exempt portions of records instead of withholding them entirely.

Furthermore, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71(c) requires agencies to make a good faith effort to provide access to records unless an explicit exemption applies. DPS has failed to demonstrate why this exemption applies and has placed the burden on me—the requester—to disprove their claim, which is not how the law is intended to function.

Requested Action:

I request that the Attorney General’s Office compel DPS to release the dash cam footage or provide a written legal justification demonstrating that the footage is:

• Specifically part of an ongoing criminal case
• Actively being used as evidence
• Not releasable under Georgia law

3. Improper Denial of Trooper Complaints & Disciplinary Records

DPS claimed no responsive records exist for:

• Public complaints
• Disciplinary records
• Garrity warnings

However, under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(20) and (21), law enforcement disciplinary files are public records unless they contain sensitive investigative material. DPS has:

• Failed to confirm whether such records exist.
• Failed to state whether complaints were ever filed.

If no complaints or disciplinary actions exist, DPS must certify this in writing rather than issuing a vague denial. Their response lacks transparency and compliance with open records laws.

Requested Action:

I request that the Attorney General’s Office compel DPS to confirm in writing whether disciplinary or complaint records exist and, if they do, provide them with any necessary redactions.

4. Excessive and Unreasonable Fees for Arrest History Search

DPS is attempting to charge $73.99 per hour for an IT specialist to search for arrest history records, citing O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71(c)(1).

Under the Open Records Act, agencies must use the lowest-paid employee capable of fulfilling the request. The use of a high-cost IT specialist instead of an administrative staff member inflates the cost unnecessarily and discourages access to public records.

Requested Action:

I request that the Attorney General’s Office review DPS’s fee structure and ensure that they are charging only reasonable fees as required by law.

Conclusion & Requested Remedies

Based on the multiple violations outlined above, I request that the Attorney General’s Office:

1. Compel DPS to release the dash cam footage or provide a legally valid written justification for withholding it.
2. Ensure DPS adheres to the three-day response deadline moving forward.
3. Require DPS to provide written confirmation regarding the existence of disciplinary and complaint records.
4. Review DPS’s excessive fee structure and order them to reduce charges to a reasonable rate in accordance with state law.

DPS’s misuse of exemptions, excessive fees, and improper delays undermine public transparency and violate the spirit and letter of the Georgia Open Records Act. I appreciate your office’s attention to this matter and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Billy Blume

Chae is the Open records custodian for the Georgia State Patrol.

This email has all of the details of my request. What is this request about? It’s about a trooper, Unit 90, Sgt. Mathew MacDonald pictured below.

I am working on a story about Sgt. Mathew MacDonald, he was pulled over for speeding in Taliaferro County, Georgia going 105 MPH with no lights activated. He was pulled over by Quincey Cannon, linked below

Quincey Cannon 

Cannon initiated his blue lights and pulled the trooper over. The trooper told Cannon not to worry about what he was doing and sped off. Cannon did not give chase.

Updated email chain – Emails are in the sequence sent and received.

Georgia State Patrol GSP Department of Public Safety in Georgia

Nkenge Green

Who is Chae?

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070084278048

We are waiting on a lot of records but as you can see in the email, I am being brushed off and records are being withheld.

Here is my complaint to GSP / DPS

GABarr listing for Chae H. An https://www.gabar.org/member-directory/?id=18634E5086AE4007C36B71C0A4D5A708

Law Office of Chae H. An LLC https://www.lawyers.com/duluth/georgia/law-office-of-chae-h-an-llc-47083591-f

3.24.25 I called POST 19 to speak to the commander

The POST 19 commander Bradley Eagler

#PoliceMisconduct #AbuseOfPower #TrafficStop #LawEnforcementEthics #GeorgiaStatePatrol #PoliceAccountability #RecklessDriving #SuperSpeeder #PoliceCorruption #ThinBlueLine #GeorgiaLaw #FleeingAndEluding #POSTInvestigation #BadgePrivilege #OfficerMisconduct #PoliceOversight #TrafficViolation #LawEnforcementTransparency #JusticeForAll #HoldCopsAccountable

To be continued ….

Disclaimer: This webpage is not an official government page or an emergency line. It is dedicated to displaying information about police misconduct and naming the agencies involved. The content provided here is for informational purposes only and does not constitute official records or legal advice. In case of an emergency, please contact your local authorities or dial 911. For official information, please refer to the appropriate government or law enforcement websites.

police misconduct law enforcement accountability public safety officer misconduct police transparency police oversight misconduct reporting police ethics public trust community safety law enforcement agencies police corruption misconduct exposure officer integrity justice reform police investigation citizen rights misconduct database police reform public accountability

#PoliceMisconduct #LawEnforcement #Accountability #PublicSafety #OfficerMisconduct #PoliceTransparency #PoliceOversight #MisconductReporting #PoliceEthics #PublicTrust #CommunitySafety #LawEnforcementAgencies #PoliceCorruption #MisconductExposure #OfficerIntegrity #JusticeReform #PoliceInvestigation #CitizenRights #MisconductDatabase #PoliceReform #PublicAccountability

Visit the Youtube counterpart to this website where the videos are located.
Please consider contributing to the Open Records Fund
https://gofund.me/8b866727
Cashapp $madvideos
Venmo @madvideos
PayPal madvideos@gmail.com
Thank you