The Government Data Practices Act (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13) says that data subjects have certain rights related to a government entity collecting, creating, and keeping government data about them. You are the subject of data when you can be identified from the data. Government data is a term that means all recorded information a government entity has, including paper, email, DVDs, photographs, etc.

Classification of Data about You

The Government Data Practices Act presumes that all government data are public unless a state or federal law says that the data are not public. Data about you are classified by state law as public, private, or confidential. See below for some examples.

1. Public data: We must give public data to anyone who asks; it does not matter who is asking for the data or why.
   
   The following is an example of public data about you: The names of City of Plymouth employees
   
   
2. Private data: We cannot give private data to the general public, but you have access when the data are about you. We can share your private data with you, with someone who has your permission, with our government entity staff who need the data to do their work, and as permitted by law or court order.
   
   The following is an example of private data about you: Social Security numbers
   
   
3. Confidential data: Confidential data have the most protection. Neither the public nor you can get access even when the confidential data are about you. We can share confidential data about you with our government entity staff who need the data to do their work and to others as permitted by law or court order. We cannot give you access to confidential data.
   
   The following is an example of confidential data about you: The identity of the subject of an active criminal investigation

Your Rights under the Government Data Practices Act

This government entity must keep all government data in a way that makes it easy for you to access data about you. Also, we can collect and keep only those data about you that we need for administering and managing programs that are permitted by law. As a data subject, you have the following rights.

Access to Your Data

You have the right to look at (inspect), free of charge, public and private data that we keep about you. You also have the right to get copies of public and private data about you. The Policy required by Minnesota Statutes, Section 13.025, Subd. 3 Page 3 Government Data Practices Act allows us to charge for copies. You have the right to look at data, free of charge, before deciding to request copies. Also, if you ask, we will tell you whether we keep data about you and whether the data are public, private, or confidential. As a parent, you have the right to look at and get copies of public and private data about your minor children (under the age of 18). As a legally appointed guardian, you have the right to look at and get copies of public and private data about an individual for whom you are appointed guardian. Minors have the right to ask this government entity not to give data about them to their parent or guardian. If you are a minor, we will tell you that you have this right. We may ask you to put your request in writing and to include the reasons that we should deny your parents access to the data. We will make the final decision about your request based on your best interests. Note: Minors do not have this right if the data in question are educational data maintained by an educational agency or institution.

When We Collect Data from You

When we ask you to provide data about yourself that are not public, we must give you a notice. The notice is sometimes called a Tennessen warning. The notice controls what we do with the data that we collect from you. Usually, we can use and release the data only in the ways described in the notice. We will ask for your written permission if we need to use or release private data about you in a different way, or if you ask us to release the data to another person. This permission is called informed consent. If you want us to release data to another person, you may use the consent form we provide.

Protecting your Data

The Government Data Practices Act requires us to protect your data. We have established appropriate safeguards to ensure that your data are safe.

When your Data are Inaccurate and/or Incomplete

You have the right to challenge the accuracy and/or completeness of public and private data about you. You also have the right to appeal our decision. If you are a minor, your parent or guardian has the right to challenge data about you.

How to Make a Request for Your Data

You may request to look at data, or obtain copies of data that this government entity keeps about you, your minor children, or an individual for whom you have been appointed legal guardian. You may be asked to make a written request. You may make your request by mail, fax, email, or by filling out the data request form below.

If you choose not to use the data request form, your request should include:

• That you are making a request, under the Government Data Practices Act (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13), as a data subject, for data about you;
• Whether you would like to inspect the data, have copies of the data, or both;
• A clear description of the data you would like to inspect or have copied; and
• Identifying information that proves you are the data subject, or data subject’s parent/guardian.

This government entity may require proof of your identity before we can respond to your request for data. If you are requesting data about your minor child, you must show proof that you are the minor’s parent. If you are a guardian, you must show legal documentation of your guardianship.

How We Respond to a Data Request

Once you make your request, we will work to process your request. If it is not clear what data you are requesting, we will ask you for clarification.

• If we do not have the data, we will notify you in writing within 10 business days.
• If we have the data, but the data are confidential or private data that are not about you, we will notify you within 10 business days and state which specific law says you cannot access the data.
• If we have the data, and the data are public or private data about you, we will respond to your request within 10 business days, by doing one of the following:
  • Arrange a date, time, and place to inspect data, for free, if your request is to look at the data, or
  • Provide you with copies of the data within 10 business days. You may choose to pick up your copies, or we will mail or fax them to you. We will provide electronic copies (such as email or CD-ROM) upon request if we keep the data in electronic format.
  • We may require you to prepay for the copies.
  • After we have provided you with access to data about you, we do not have to show you the data again for 6 months unless there is a dispute or we collect or create new data about you.
  • If you do not understand some of the data (technical terminology, abbreviations, or acronyms), please let us know. We will give you an explanation if you ask.

The Government Data Practices Act does not require us to create or collect new data in response to a data request if we do not already have the data, or to provide data in a specific form or arrangement if we do not keep the data in that form or arrangement. (For example, if the data you request are on paper only, we are not required to create electronic documents to respond to your request.) If we agree to create data in response to your request, we will work with you on the details of your request, including cost and response time. In addition, we are not required under the Government Data Practices Act to respond to questions that are not specific requests for data.

Information about copy charges is on the copy costs page. We may require you to pre-pay for the copies.

If you do not understand some of the data (technical terminology, abbreviations, or acronyms), please let us know. We will give you an explanation if you ask.

The Government Data Practices Act does not require us to create or collect new data in response to a data request if we do not already have the data, or to provide data in a specific form or arrangement if we do not keep the data in that form or arrangement. (For example, if the data you request are on paper only, we are not required to create electronic documents to respond to your request.) If we agree to create data in response to your request, we will work with you on the details of your request, including cost and response time.

In addition, the Government Data Practices Act does not require us to answer questions that are not requests for data.

Requests for Summary Data

Summary data are statistical records or reports that are prepared by removing all identifiers from private or confidential data on individuals. The preparation of summary data is not a means to gain access to private or confidential data. We will prepare summary data if you make your request in writing. We may require you to pre-pay for copies and for the cost of creating the data. Upon receiving your written request – you may use the data request form found on this page – we will respond within ten business days with the data or details of when the data will be ready and how much we will charge.

Copy Costs – Data Subjects

This government entity may charge data subjects for copies of government data. These charges are authorized under Minnesota Statutes, section 13.04, subdivision 3.

You may be required to pay for the copies before we will give them to you.

Per Section 1017 of the Plymouth City Code, the first 50 copies are free and $.25 per page thereafter.

Actual Cost of Making the Copies

In determining the actual cost of making copies, we factor in employee time, the cost of the materials onto which we are copying the data (paper, CD, DVD, etc.), and mailing costs (if any). If your request is for copies of data that we cannot reproduce ourselves, such as photographs, we will charge you the actual cost we must pay an outside vendor for the copies. 

Copy Costs – Members of the Public

This government entity charges members of the public for copies of government data. These charges are authorized under Minnesota Statutes, section 13.03, subdivision 3c. 

You may be required to pay for the copies before we will give them to you. We do not charge for copies if the cost is less than $10.

Cost for Photo Copies

Per Section 1017 of the Plymouth City Code, the first 50 copies are free and $.25 per page thereafter. You may be required to pay for copies before we will give them to you.

Most Other Types of Copies – Actual cost

The charge for most other types of copies, when a charge is not set by statute or rule, is the actual cost of searching for and retrieving the data, and making the copies or electronically transmitting the data (e.g. sending the data by email).

In determining the actual cost of making copies, we factor in employee time, the cost of the materials onto which we are copying the data (paper, CD, DVD, etc.), and mailing costs (if any). If your request is for copies of data that we cannot reproduce ourselves, such as photographs, we will charge you the actual cost we must pay an outside vendor for the copies.

Data Practices Compliance Official

Jodi Gallup
3400 Plymouth Blvd., Plymouth, MN 55447
763-509-5080
jgallup@plymouthmn.gov

Data Practices Designee – Human Resources

Ali Timpone
3400 Plymouth Blvd., Plymouth, MN 55447
763-509-5070
atimpone@plymouthmn.gov

Data Practices Designees – Police Department Administrative Services

Heather Haapoja
3400 Plymouth Blvd., Plymouth, MN 55447
763-509-5152
hhaapoja@plymouthmn.gov

Responsible Authority

Dave Callister
3400 Plymouth Blvd., Plymouth, MN 55447
763-509-5301
dcallister@plymouthmn.gov