REQUESTS FROM AUTHORITIES
When responding to police or FBI requests for information on guests, you must distinguish between two types of information: Guest Registration Information and Other Guest Information .
All law enforcement requests for information are to be handled by the GM.
Guest Registration Information - name of guest, room number and address.
Maintaining guest registers is required by most states, if not all of them. What little law there is suggests that the reason for this requirement is to assist the police. While it is good practice to ask for a subpoena or other document, if the police insist then you should comply up to certain levels of request. If law enforcement is insistent, you may: • Verify that the person insisting is, in fact, a police officer; and • That there is a local statute requiring you to allow them to review such information. If it is a valid request and you are required by statute to comply, show them the information. In most cases, local laws do not require that you make copies of this information to provide to the police. If the police ask for copies, you should request a subpoena before complying with the request.
Other Guest Information – calls to and from the room, credit card information, charges, etc.
Unless the police can point you to a statute or ordinance requiring such information to be turned over, you should ask for a subpoena or other process before doing so. Be polite, and explain it is to protect the hotel. If there is a statute or ordinance requiring the production of this second level of information, upon request and without due process, it may be unconstitutional; however, do not raise that issue with law enforcement. You should assume that any statute or subpoena is valid. Your concerns are verifying that it is a police officer or FBI agent that is seeking the information, and that there be something that on its face compels you to comply with the police or FBI request to protect you, the Hotel, and the Company from accusations guest information was shared without good reason. These guidelines must be applied with a keen practical sense. If a police officer tells you that someone is constructing a bomb in the hotel and there is an emergency situation, the chances are you will do what you must to assist that officer regardless of whether it is within any guideline. In all circumstances, you must have some proof that you are dealing with a police officer or FBI agent, and you should have a witness to what is being requested of you.
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