25FC:0182 Amy Hill v. Ottumwa Police Department - Investigative Report

The Iowa Public Information Board

COMES NOW, Alexander Lee, Agency Counsel for the Iowa Public Information Board (IPIB), and enters this Investigative Report:

On November 7, 2025, Amy Hill filed formal complaint 25FC:0182, alleging that the Ottumwa Police Department (Department) violated Iowa Code Chapter 22.

Facial acceptance of this case is presented to the IPIB on its consent agenda for December 18, 2025. If the acceptance is approved, this statement will be updated accordingly.

Facts

On November 25, 2024, the Ottumwa Police Department responded to a call from a member of the public reporting a lost or abandoned dog. An animal control officer picked up the dog and dropped it off at a local shelter. The complainant, Amy Hill, believes that this was her pet dog.

On June 5, 2025, Hill submitted a Chapter 22 request seeking records from the Department related to this incident, including body/vehicle camera recordings of the dog being picked up, an audio recording of the phone call reporting the dog, and any related records. The Department responded by asserting that there was no responsive video of the pickup, though Hill was provided the written report from the incident. The Department also released the audio from the original phone call, though Hill overlooked the file at the time.

On October 22, 2025, Hill submitted a new request, seeking the same records and asserting that she still had not been provided the original phone call or the body/vehicle camera records. The Department responded that there were no additional records to disclose.

On November 7, 2025, Hill filed formal complaint 25FC:0182, alleging that the Department was improperly withholding responsive records without justification.

On December 5, 2025, IPIB staff notified the Department of the complaint. The same day, the Department responded with screenshots of the video record logs for the officer in question on the day of the incident, showing nothing recorded from the time the dog was picked up. The Department also re-released the written report and the phone call recording, with an additional screenshot showing that these files had been shared on June 6, in response to the initial request. Hill has since acknowledged that the phone call record had been included in the disclosure on that date and she had unintentionally overlooked it.

Analysis

The complainant agrees that the written report of the incident and the phone call record described in the complaint were released upon request. While no footage from the responding officer’s body-worn camera or dashcam have been shared, the Department has provided evidence which suggests that the officer’s pickup of the dog was never recorded in the first place, and there is no other evidence available which contradicts this assertion. It appears that all responsive records were properly released in June, the day after the complainant’s first Chapter 22 request.

Any remaining issues regarding the Department and animal shelter’s handling of the underlying incident or the dog’s ownership are outside of IPIB’s statutory jurisdiction under Chapter 21 and Chapter 22.

IPIB Action

The Board may take the following actions upon receipt of a probable cause report:

a. Redirect the matter for further investigation;

b. Dismiss the matter for lack of probable cause to believe a violation has occurred;

c. Make a determination that probable cause exists to believe a violation has occurred, but, as an exercise of administrative discretion, dismiss the matter; or

d. Make a determination that probable cause exists to believe a violation has occurred, designate a prosecutor and direct the issuance of a statement of charges to initiate a contested case proceeding.

Iowa Admin. Code r. 497-2.2(4)

Recommendation

The evidence presented to IPIB suggests that all responsive records in the Department’s possession were either promptly disclosed upon request or do not exist. Because any remaining matters in the dispute are outside of IPIB’s jurisdiction, it is recommended that the Board dismiss for lack of probable cause to believe a violation has occurred.

By the IPIB Agency Counsel,

_________________________

Alexander Lee, J.D.

CERTIFICATE OF MAILING

This document was sent on December 11, 2025, to:

Amy Hill, Complainant

Ottumwa Police Department, Respondent

The Iowa Public Information Board

Under Iowa Admin. Code r. 497-2.2(4) the Board takes the following action:

☐a. Redirect the matter for further investigation;

☒b. Dismiss the matter for lack of probable cause to believe a violation has occurred;

☐c. Make a determination that probable cause exists to believe a violation has occurred, but, as an exercise of administrative discretion, dismiss the matter; or

☐d. Make a determination that probable cause exists to believe a violation has occurred, designate a prosecutor and direct the issuance of a statement of charges to initiate a contested case proceeding.

By the Board Chair

___________________________________

Catherine Lucas

CERTIFICATE OF MAILING

This document was sent on December 23, 2025, to:

Amy Hill, Complainant

Ottumwa Police Department, Respondent