On February 20, 2018, Pashman Stein Walder Hayden partner CJ Griffin filed an OPRA lawsuit against the City of Newark on behalf of long-time client Steven Wronko. The lawsuit seeks access to a copy of Newark's AmazonHQ2 proposal.
For our prior press release about the suit and a copy of the complaint, click here.
On March 26, 2018, Newark moved to dismiss Plaintiff's complaint. In support of its motion, Newark submitted a certification by Aisha Glover, Executive Director of the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation ("NCEDC"), which simply stated that a) Newark is bound by a ...
Today, Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C. secured an appellate victory for two long-term firm clients, Richard Rivera and Collene Wronko.
The case involved OPRA requests for records from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office (MCPO) which related to an incident where police officers shot and killed a man outside his home in Old Bridge. Both Mr. Rivera and Ms. Wronko sought access to the 9-1-1 call of the incident, as well as other police records, such as CAD reports and Standard Operating Procedures. Their requests were denied.
After lawsuits were filed, MCPO eventually released a ...
Today, Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C. secured a victory for our client, Jennifer Coombs, in an OPRA case against the Borough of Westwood.
Ms. Coombs had requested payroll records from Westwood for all employees working for the Borough in 2017. Westwood responded to Ms. Coombs' request by providing a payroll report, but redacting the names of numerous employees from it. Westwood stated that the redacted names were of minor employees who worked in the summer recreation program and that they were entitled to privacy. After Ms. Coombs objected, Westwood released a new version of the ...
Last week, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal issued Attorney General Law Enforcement Directive No. 2018-1, which provides instructions to law enforcement agencies in this State regarding public access to dash camera and body camera footage of police-involved shootings. We find that there are both pros and cons to this new directive.
Pros:
On one hand, we are very happy to see that the new Attorney General clearly understands that transparency advances public trust in law enforcement. The overall spirit of this directive is positive and it recognizes that law enforcement do not need ...
Last week, the Appellate Division issued a published decision that is very important to transparency. While the court's analysis of its standard of review over GRC decisions will excite appellate attorneys, it is the more substantive portion of the court's decision that grabbed our attention.
The case is Conley v. N.J. Dep’t of Corrections, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. Jan. 12, 2018), and it involves an OPRA request that was filed by Kevin Conley, an inmate at the New Jersey State Prison.
Mr. Conley's OPRA request sought “monthly remedy statistical reports” that were required ...
PSWH Partner CJ Griffin will be giving an OPRA training on Tuesday, January 23, 2017 at 6:30pm at the River Edge Public Library, 685 Elm ave, River Edge, NJ.
This event is free and open to the public. Come learn about the nuts and bolts of filing an OPRA request!
This event is sponsored by Indivisible NJ 5th District, Glen Rock People Power, Ridgewood JOLT, Glen Rock after the March, Women for Progress, and Ramsey Pins!
On December 12, 2017, CJ Griffin will speak at the Clifton ASAP (Advocating Solutions and Progress) Group in Clifton, NJ.
Griffin will give a presentation on the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and answer questions from the public. The event is free and all are welcome to attend.
When: December 12, 2017 at 7pm
Where: Allwood Public Library, 44 Lyall Road, Clifton, NJ
Who: Clifton ASAP Group
All may attend. Cost is free.
In this third part of our series about using OPRA to monitor police agencies, we will discuss how to ensure that individual officers meet the qualifications for their duty assignments and are properly trained.
Generally, personnel records are exempt from access under OPRA. However, we previously blogged about the personnel records exemption and explained that there are three exceptions. The third exception provides that the following records are accessible:
data contained in information which disclose conformity with specific experiential, educational or medical ...
We recently blogged about how you can use OPRA to gain access to records that relate to the use of force by police officers against members of the public. This blog discusses other types of police records that will help you monitor your local police department.
Internal Affairs Annual Summary Reports:
The Attorney General’s Internal Affairs Policy requires every law enforcement agency to an release annual internal affairs summary report to the public which “summarizes the types of [internal affairs] complaints received and the dispositions of those complaints.” This ...
Police officers have the ability to arrest and detain suspects, to seize property, and to lawfully use force against people when justified by law. Because police officers are given these tremendous powers, we should hold them to very high standards— we expect that they will be honest, trustworthy, and follow the law and the Constitution.
In a three-part series, we will discuss how you can use OPRA to monitor police conduct. This blog highlights records you can request to monitor the use of force by police officers.
Use of Force Reports:
Pursuant to the Attorney General’s Use of Force ...
