Thread by @DeclarationPHL

One of the demands of #occupyICEPHL protesters is to #endPARS. We’ve been reporting on PARS for a while now, and we’ve received several questions about the system and the state of our ongoing reporting. We want to answer those questions. #Thread

PARS stands for “Preliminary Arraignment Reporting System.” It was created in the 90s to share arrest paperwork more quickly between @PhillyPolice, @philadao and @PhilaCourts. #endPARS

In 2008, city officials agreed to allow @ICEgov access to the system for a yearly fee. When ICE renewed the agreement in 2010, it agreed to let city officials withhold the information of victims and witnesses in arrest paperwork within PARS. #endPARS.

The agreement has been renewed every year since 2008. In 2017, we requested documents from @philadao to find out whether any updates to the terms had been made since removed victim and witness information in 2010. #endPARS

The District Attorney’s Office refused to release records to us, but in early 2018 a judge ordered them to release all documents related to the PARS contract: phillydeclaration.org/2018/01/30/cou… #endPARS

After that order, @PhilaDAO gave us copies of the 2008 and 2010 agreements, as well as ICE contract forms for some, but not all, of the yearly renewals. The 2008 and 2010 agreements are included in our first story about #occupyICEPHL: phillydeclaration.org/2018/07/04/aft… #endPARS

In order to be thorough, we have filed a follow up #FOIA request with @ICEgov to make sure that the terms of the contract weren’t changed in the years @philaDAO didn’t have renewal paperwork for. We will publish a story on the results once they come in. #endPARS

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any further questions about the state of our reporting or about the system. Our reporter who writes about PARS, Austin Nolen, can be reached at anolen [at] phillydeclaration.org.