Communications Regarding Brick Township Police Department (David and Joseph Forrester)
Dear Ocean County Prosecutor's Office,
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-5(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:
Pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq.), I request access to the following government records maintained by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office (OCPO). This request is not for a commercial purpose.
1. Custodians and Communications Sought:
Electronic communications, including emails and attachments, where any of the following OCPO custodians are the sender, recipient, or copied (CC or BCC):
• Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer
• First Assistant Prosecutor, OCPO
• Chief of Detectives, OCPO
and where any of the following Brick Township officials are the sender, recipient, or copied (CC or BCC):
• Lisa Crate, Mayor
• Joanne Bergin, Business Administrator
• Township Clerk
• Chief of Police or Acting Chief, Brick Township Police Department
This request applies to communications transmitted through official government email accounts.
2. Scope and Search Parameters:
Date Range: April 1, 2026 through April 28, 2026
Search Terms:
“Forrester”
“administrative leave”
“resignation”
“separation”
“acting chief”
“command staff”
“internal affairs”
3. Specific Records Requested:
a. Any formal notifications, letters, or correspondence issued by the OCPO to Brick Township regarding personnel status changes involving Chief David Forrester or Captain Joseph Forrester.
b. Any records reflecting, stating, or describing the reason for separation, resignation, or administrative leave of Chief David Forrester or Captain Joseph Forrester, to the extent such information is contained within a government record, consistent with N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10.
c. Any correspondence related to the designation or approval of an acting police chief.
d. Any notifications or correspondence issued pursuant to Attorney General Law Enforcement Directive No. 2022-14 or Internal Affairs Policy and Procedures relating to the above individuals.
If any portions of responsive records are redacted or withheld, please identify the specific legal exemption relied upon for each redaction and release all reasonably segregable portions.
If this request can be clarified or narrowed to facilitate a response, please advise.
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,
Steven Miller
Attached please find the response to your request.
From: Steven Miller <[OPRA #90678 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2026 4:10 PM
To: OCPO_OPRA <[Ocean County Prosecutor's Office request email]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] OPRA request - Communications Regarding Brick Township
Police Department (David and Joseph Forrester)
This message has originated from an External Source. Please use proper
judgment and caution when opening attachments, clicking links, or
responding to this email.
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Dear Ocean County Prosecutor's Office,
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-5(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:
Pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et
seq.), I request access to the following government records maintained by
the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office (OCPO). This request is not for a
commercial purpose.
1. Custodians and Communications Sought:
Electronic communications, including emails and attachments, where any of
the following OCPO custodians are the sender, recipient, or copied (CC or
BCC):
• Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer
• First Assistant Prosecutor, OCPO
• Chief of Detectives, OCPO
and where any of the following Brick Township officials are the sender,
recipient, or copied (CC or BCC):
• Lisa Crate, Mayor
• Joanne Bergin, Business Administrator
• Township Clerk
• Chief of Police or Acting Chief, Brick Township Police Department
This request applies to communications transmitted through official
government email accounts.
2. Scope and Search Parameters:
Date Range: April 1, 2026 through April 28, 2026
Search Terms:
“Forrester”
“administrative leave”
“resignation”
“separation”
“acting chief”
“command staff”
“internal affairs”
3. Specific Records Requested:
a. Any formal notifications, letters, or correspondence issued by the OCPO
to Brick Township regarding personnel status changes involving Chief David
Forrester or Captain Joseph Forrester.
b. Any records reflecting, stating, or describing the reason for
separation, resignation, or administrative leave of Chief David Forrester
or Captain Joseph Forrester, to the extent such information is contained
within a government record, consistent with N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10.
c. Any correspondence related to the designation or approval of an acting
police chief.
d. Any notifications or correspondence issued pursuant to Attorney General
Law Enforcement Directive No. 2022-14 or Internal Affairs Policy and
Procedures relating to the above individuals.
If any portions of responsive records are redacted or withheld, please
identify the specific legal exemption relied upon for each redaction and
release all reasonably segregable portions.
If this request can be clarified or narrowed to facilitate a response,
please advise.
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,
Steven Miller
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Dear OCPO_OPRA,
Good afternoon,
Thank you for your response stating that the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office was not in possession of responsive records.
However, Brick Township has since produced an email dated April 20, 2026 from Acting Chief Henry Drew to Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Sheriff Michael Mastronardy stating that Chief David Forrester was on administrative leave and that Henry Drew was serving as Acting Chief of Police.
This communication appears responsive to my OPRA request based upon:
• the identified custodians,
• the requested date range, and
• the search terms including “administrative leave,” “acting chief,” and “Forrester.”
Accordingly, I respectfully request that the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office review and reconsider its response and determine whether additional responsive records exist.
Thank you for your time and assistance.
Sincerely,
Steven Miller
Attached please find the response to your request.
From: Steven Miller <[OPRA #90678 email]>
Sent: Thursday, May 7, 2026 4:57 PM
To: OCPO_OPRA <[Ocean County Prosecutor's Office request email]>
Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL] OPRA request - Communications Regarding Brick
Township Police Department (David and Joseph Forrester)
Dear OCPO_OPRA,
Good afternoon,
Thank you for your response stating that the Ocean County Prosecutor’s
Office was not in possession of responsive records.
However, Brick Township has since produced an email dated April 20, 2026
from Acting Chief Henry Drew to Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and
Sheriff Michael Mastronardy stating that Chief David Forrester was on
administrative leave and that Henry Drew was serving as Acting Chief of
Police.
This communication appears responsive to my OPRA request based upon:
• the identified custodians,
• the requested date range, and
• the search terms including “administrative leave,” “acting chief,” and
“Forrester.”
Accordingly, I respectfully request that the Ocean County Prosecutor’s
Office review and reconsider its response and determine whether additional
responsive records exist.
Thank you for your time and assistance.
Sincerely,
Steven Miller