Yesterday, the Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled in a split decision that security camera footage is not accessible under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).
About the Case
The case is Patricia Gilleran v. Township of Bloomfield. Ms. Gilleran* requested video footage from a security camera placed on the outside of town hall, just above the mayor’s parking spot. Bloomfield denied her request, citing two of OPRA’s security-related provisions that exempt:
emergency or security information or procedures for any buildings or facility which, if disclosed, would jeopardize ...
Attorney CJ Griffin is representing The Trentonian in an lawsuit which seeks access to 9-1-1 calls under the Open Public Records Act. The Trentonian will ask the Honorable Mary C. Jacobson, A.J.S.C., to compel the Township of Hamilton to release 9-1-1 calls relating to an alleged domestic dispute that occurred at the home of a Trenton police officer. Hamilton claims that the Domestic Violence Prevention Act bars access to the 9-1-1 calls. The Trentonian argues, however, that the DVPA (NJSA 2C:25-33) only exempts certain records and 9-1-1 calls are not on the list. Additionally, the ...
Recently, the Honorable Travis L. Francis, A.J.S.C. ruled that the Township of Old Bridge must release dash camera footage that depicts the Police Director of Carteret engaged in a DWI violation. Judge Francis ruled that dash camera footage is not a criminal investigatory record and that it did not pertain to a criminal investigation.
Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C. attorney CJ Griffin represented Mr. Wronko in this matter.
Our firm is proud of the results it has achieved for clients, some of which are noted here. Of course, each legal matter is unique on many levels, and past successes ...
The following article was posted on Northjersey.com on November 9, 2016 edition. It describes an argument before the New Jersey Supreme Court in one of the most consequential Open Public Records Act cases in State history. Our partner Sam Samaro is lead counsel for North Jersey Media Group and our firm spearheaded the appeal.
In one of the biggest legal battles over government transparency in New Jersey, the state Supreme Court is poised to determine how much information the public receives in the hours and days after police officers use fatal force.
A key question in the case is whether ...
