Chief Corbisiero Illegalities
Dear North Bergen Township,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request per NJSA 47:1A-6(f), which states that an email from a requestor including all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place of a completed form as a valid government record request.
I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
Records requested:
1. Departmental Policies and Regulations against nepotism and hiring families.
2. All of the job applications for Officer David Corbisiero starting from dispatcher then special and fulltimeer.
3. Address on all of his applications.
4. Tax paperwork and a list of residents at the addresses listed on application for jobs.
5. Copy of the municipal ordinance that says they have residency requirements.
6. Plate number, easy pass, plus gas records for the black truck given to Chief Corbisiero.
7. Daily work hours plus any Overtime pay given to Chief Corbisiero when son Corbisiero Junior was going to the Academy.
8. Current schedule and responsibilities for Chief Corbisiero and what essentially happens when you lie about being at work.
9. Department cellular records with calls and message between Chief Corbisiero and Internal Affairs persons.
10. Department cell records with messages and calls communications between Corpisiero and Detail Officers, Gary Lowman and assistants.
11. Emails from Chief Corbisiero about his son to anyone with decision making powers.
12. SOP for internal investigations and the punishment for interfering in any investigation.
13. Records of son using Chief assigned truck on weekends to go out and work details.
Save copies of everything for the state police and the prosecutor because they will be very interested in this real case of corruption.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person and provide their email address to me for future reference.
Yours faithfully,
Sick and Tired
Good Morning,
The Township of North Bergen (the “Township”) received your request dated 9/17/2024 under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”), N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq.
Your request was as follows:
“Records requested:
1. Departmental Policies and Regulations against nepotism and hiring families.
2. All of the job applications for Officer David Corbisiero starting from dispatcher then special and fulltimeer. (sic)
3. Address on all of his applications.
4. Tax paperwork and a list of residents at the addresses listed on application for jobs.
5. Copy of the municipal ordinance that says they have residency requirements.
6. Plate number, easy pass, plus gas records for the black truck given to Chief Corbisiero.
7. Daily work hours plus any Overtime pay given to Chief Corbisiero when son Corbisiero Junior was going to the Academy.
8. Current schedule and responsibilities for Chief Corbisiero and what essentially happens when you lie about being at work.
9. Department cellular records with calls and message between Chief Corbisiero and Internal Affairs persons.
10. Department cell records with messages and calls communications between Corpisiero (sic) and Detail Officers, Gary Lowman and assistants.
11. Emails from Chief Corbisiero about his son to anyone with decision making powers.
12. SOP for internal investigations and the punishment for interfering in any investigation.
13. Records of son using Chief assigned truck on weekends to go out and work details.”
In response to your request, see attached records, redacted in accordance with N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 and -1.1:
Request: 1. Departmental Policies and Regulations against nepotism and hiring families.
Response: The Township has no record responsive to “hiring families.” In response to, “Departmental Policies and Regulations against nepotism” please see attached General Order #22-03 entitled Fraternization Nepotism, General Order 14-52 Background Investigation Policy for New Hires, and General Order 15-02 Recruitment and Selection.
Request: 2. All of the job applications for Officer David Corbisiero starting from dispatcher then special and fulltimeer. (sic)
Response: Your request is denied pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10; N.J.S.A. 47:1A-9 (McGreevey Executive Order No. 26).
Request: 3. Address on all of his applications.
Response: Your request is denied pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1; N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10; N.J.S.A. 47:1A-9, (McGreevey Executive Order No. 26).
Request: 4. Tax paperwork and a list of residents at the addresses listed on application for jobs.
Response: Your request is vague and improper. Your request is denied pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-9, (McGreevey Executive Order No. 26; N.J.S.A. 2C:25-33(a)]).
Request: 5. Copy of the municipal ordinance that says they have residency requirements.
Response: Attached please find Township Ordinance 1825-76, and Township Ordinance 993-04 which amends Ordinance 1825-76.
Request: 6. Plate number, easy pass, plus gas records for the black truck given to Chief Corbisiero.
Response:
• “Plate number”
Your request is denied pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-9 (New Jersey Administrative Code § 13:1E-3.2).
• “easy pass” (sic)
Your request is denied pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-9 (N.J.S.A. 27:25A-21.3)
• plus gas records…
The Township has no records responsive to your request.
Request 7. Daily work hours plus any Overtime pay given to Chief Corbisiero when son Corbisiero Junior was going to the Academy.
Response: Your request is overly broad, vague and improper, and therefore denied. MAG Entm’t, LLC v. Div. of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 375 N.J. Super. 534 (App. Div. 2005).
Request 8. Current schedule and responsibilities for Chief Corbisiero and what essentially happens when you lie about being at work.
Response: The Township has no record responsive to “…and what essentially happens when you lie about being at work.”
Responsive to, “Current schedule and responsibilities, “see attached entitled Agreement Between the Township of North Bergen, New Jersey, and David Corbisiero, Deputy Chief of Police.
Request 9. Department cellular records with calls and message between Chief Corbisiero and Internal Affairs persons.
Response: In accordance with N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-9, your request is denied.
Request 10. Department cell records with messages and calls communications between Corpisiero (sic) and Detail Officers, Gary Lowman and assistants.
Response: The request is improper and denied (N.J.S.A.47:1A-5)
Request 11. Emails from Chief Corbisiero about his son to anyone with decision making powers.
Response: Your request is denied. (N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(g))
Request 12. SOP for internal investigations and the punishment for interfering in any investigation.
Response: Attached please find General Order 20-03 Internal Affairs Policy, and the New Jersey Attorney General Directive 2020-7 Internal Affairs Policy and Procedures.
Request 13. Records of son using Chief assigned truck on weekends to go out and work details.
Response: The Township has no records responsive to your request.
You requested the same records under the common law. Unlike with OPRA, the burden to show that access to common law public records should be permitted lies with the requestor. “The common-law right to access public records depends on three requirements: (1) the records must be common-law public documents; (2) the person seeking access must ‘establish an interest in the subject matter of the material,’; and (3) the citizen's right to access ‘must be balanced against the State's interest in preventing disclosure.” Keddie v. Rutgers, 148 N.J. 36, 50 (1997) (internal citations omitted). You have neither established that the records you seek are common-law public documents, identified an interest in the subject matter of such records, nor set forth how your need for disclosure outweighs the State’s clearly expressed, strong public policy interest in preventing such disclosure. Accordingly, your request is denied under common law.
As with any OPRA request, you have the right to challenge the decision by the Township with regard to your request. At your option, you may either institute a proceeding in the Superior Court of New Jersey or file a complaint with the Government Records Council (“GRC”) by completing the Denial of Access Complaint Form. You may contact the GRC by toll-free telephone at 866-850-0511, by mail at PO Box 819, Trenton, NJ 08625, by e-mail at [email address] or at their web site at https://www.nj.gov/grc. The GRC can also answer other questions about the law. All questions regarding complaints filed in Superior Court should be directed to the Court Clerk.
Thank you.
Erin Barillas, RMC
Township Clerk
Township of North Bergen
4233 Kennedy Blvd
North Bergen, NJ 07047
e: [North Bergen Township request email]
o: 201-392-2024
f: 201-330-7694
www.northbergen.org