Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) EMS Incident Data and Time Stamps (Mansfield Township)
Dear Warren County,
Please accept this request for government records made pursuant to the Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq., and the common law right of access.
This request is directed to both Mansfield Township and the Warren County Communications Center (Department of Public Safety – 911 Dispatch) to ensure that the records are produced by the agency maintaining the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and underlying EMS dispatch data.
I am not required to complete any official form pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(f). This email contains all information necessary for a valid request.
CERTIFICATIONS:
• 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 records for a commercial purpose.
• I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
RECORDS REQUESTED:
For the period January 1, 2012 to present, please provide electronic copies of all Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) records and related dispatch data for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls within Mansfield Township, Warren County, New Jersey.
This request specifically seeks the underlying incident-level CAD data, not summaries, reports, or compilations.
For each EMS incident, please include all available data fields, including but not limited to:
1. Incident number / case number
2. Call type / nature of call (EMS classification)
3. Location of incident (address or nearest cross street)
4. Date of call
5. Time call received
6. Time unit dispatched
7. Time unit en route
8. Time unit arrived on scene
9. Time cleared from scene
10. Responding agency and unit identifier (including identification of Independence First Aid Squad and any prior EMS provider)
11. Priority level (if recorded)
12. Any additional time stamps captured in the CAD system reflecting dispatch, turnout, travel, or on-scene intervals
FORMAT:
Please provide the records in native electronic format (e.g., CSV, Excel, or other export format) reflecting the data as maintained in the CAD system. If the records are stored in a database, please provide a standard export.
If any field listed above is not maintained, please state that explicitly.
SCOPE CLARIFICATION:
This request is limited to EMS-related incidents occurring within Mansfield Township. It does not require the creation of any new record, analysis, or compilation. A standard CAD export filtered by municipality and incident type will satisfy this request.
To the extent that any portion of this request implicates a large dataset, I am willing to accept the records in rolling production or segmented by year.
RETENTION:
To the extent responsive records no longer exist, please identify the applicable records retention schedule and confirm that such records were destroyed in accordance with that schedule.
DENIALS / REDACTIONS:
If any portion of this request is denied, please provide a written statement identifying the specific legal basis for each denial, including citation to the specific exemption relied upon.
If records are redacted, please provide a privilege log identifying the record, date, author (if applicable), and basis for redaction.
Thank you for your attention to this request.
Bill Sosis
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Warren County, NJ Government Public Records
Your record request #26-181 has been submitted
successfully.
The due date for your request may be later than usual
because the office is closed on:
• April 3: Good Friday
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Dear Mr. Sosis,
Please note we have a dedicated records request portal - https://warrencountynj.nextrequest.com/ - onto which requestors and responding government departments can easily upload and download documents. Your request has been entered on this platform (#26-181). Email notifications from “Warren County NJ Government Public Records <[email address]>" may initially land in your clutter or junk folders.
However, we recognize that you prefer not to utilize the portal. Below is a response to your request, as crafted by County Counsel:
Initially, please allow this to clarify that CAD records are maintained by the County as individual dispatch records within the CAD system and not as a unified, exportable spreadsheet or database containing extractable data fields across all incidents or all of the specific data fields requested. That is, the County’s CAD system does not have the capability to automatically generate a CSV, Excel file, or other database style export containing all incidents filtered by municipality, incident type, and individual timestamps across the requested date range. In other words, the County does not maintain a single record or export that corresponds to the dataset described in the request.
Your request specifically seeks incident level CAD data in spreadsheet or database form containing multiple discrete data fields, including, but not limited to, timestamps, unit identifiers, priority levels, and other structured elements.
OPRA does not require public agencies to create new records, perform data manipulation, or manually compile information in response to a request. See N.J.S.A. 47:1A 5(d) and 5(g). While we appreciate your statement that “this request does not require the creation of any new record,” it has always been the manner in which the records are actually maintained by the public agency to which the request is made that is determinative of the obligations that exist under OPRA. Indeed, the fact that the requested data does not already exist in the County’s CAD system as an exportable electronic dataset is dispositive, because compliance with this request, as written, would require County personnel to manually review individual CAD entries, extract and re enter data into a new format, create a new compilation, report, or dataset, and reformat records into a structure not already maintained by the County. OPRA imposes no obligation on public agencies to undertake such labor intensive record creation or data reconstruction, regardless of the volume of staff time involved or the age of the requested records. Accordingly, we are unfortunately unable to accommodate your request, as written, for a CSV, Excel file, or other database style export from the CAD system, to the extent that the County is limited to providing access only to existing, identifiable CAD records that are maintained in the ordinary course of business and are not otherwise exempt from disclosure.
While the County does not understand this request to also seek copies of all actual individual CAD records for the time period and subject matter identified, it is probable that such a request would require an extraordinary expenditure of time and effort, including the search, identification, review, and redaction of a potentially large volume of records. Thus, although the County reserves judgment unless and until such time as such a request is made, it may be advisable to consider the potential legal principles affecting the obligations and entitlement to disclosure in the context of a request of that scope, including the potential assessment of a special service charge pursuant to OPRA.
###
If you feel you have been denied information erroneously, you may wish to file a Denial of Access complaint with the NJ Government Records Council (GRC). The GRC can be reached via this toll-free number: 866-850-0511 or by visiting its web site: www.nj.gov/grc.
Regards,
Holly Luberto
Warren County Public Information Department
Wayne Dumont, Jr. Administration Building
165 County Rt. 519 South
Belvidere NJ 07823
908-475-6580 / 800-554-8540
Dear Ms. Luberto,
I received the County’s response to my OPRA request.
The denial rests on the assertion that my request would require the creation of a new record. That misstates what I requested.
My request seeks existing CAD data “as maintained” in the system, including a standard export if available. I expressly stated that no new record, analysis, or compilation is required.
The County acknowledges that the requested data exists within its CAD system as individual incident records containing the data fields identified in my request. The issue raised is not the existence of the data, but the County’s position that it cannot produce the data in a structured electronic format.
That position is not supported by the record provided.
If the CAD system maintains incident-level data fields such as timestamps, unit identifiers, call types, and locations, then retrieval of those fields through a standard query or export function constitutes access to existing electronic records. It does not constitute the creation of a new record.
The response does not identify:
• The CAD system in use
• The data fields maintained within that system
• The system’s export or query capabilities
• What electronic formats, if any, can be produced without manual re-entry
Instead, it offers a conclusory statement that no such export exists, without describing the actual capabilities of the system.
In addition, the suggestion that I instead request individual CAD records, coupled with a warning regarding a potential special service charge, shifts the request toward the most burdensome and costly method of production while avoiding the more efficient retrieval of existing electronic data.
Accordingly, I request that the County clarify the following:
1. Identify the CAD system currently in use.
2. Identify all data fields maintained for EMS incidents within that system.
3. Describe the system’s ability to query, filter, or export incident-level data by municipality, incident type, and date range.
4. Identify all electronic formats in which such data can be produced without manual compilation.
To the extent the County maintains that no export or query function exists that can retrieve these data fields, please provide a certification from a knowledgeable official describing the system’s limitations in detail.
I remain willing to accept the data in any existing electronic format and in rolling production, as previously stated.
This request seeks access to existing records, not the creation of new ones.
Please treat this as a request for reconsideration of the denial.
Sincerely,
William N. Sosis, Esq.
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Warren County, NJ Government Public Records
Record request #26-181 has been closed. The closure
reason supplied was:
OPRA does not require public agencies to create new
records, perform data manipulation, or manually
compile information in response to a request. See
N.J.S.A. 47:1A 5(d) and 5(g).
If you feel you have been denied information
erroneously, you may wish to file a Denial of Access
complaint with the NJ Government Records Council
(GRC). The GRC can be reached via this toll-free
number: 866-850-0511 or by visiting its web site:
[1]www.nj.gov/grc.
[2]View Request 26-181
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Dear Mr. Sosis,
Warren County government has received your below clarification and request for reconsideration, and we are looking into it. We have reopened your request and anticipate having a response prepared for you by the end of next week. Thank you for your patience.
Regards,
Holly Luberto
Warren County Public Information Department
Wayne Dumont, Jr. Administration Building
165 County Rt. 519 South
Belvidere NJ 07823
908-475-6580 / 800-554-8540
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Warren County, NJ Government Public Records
Record request #26-181 has been reopened. You can see
it anytime at the link below.
[1]View Request 26-181
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Dear Mr. Sosis,
Our Public Safety staff had to spend a few hours learning how to directly query the CAD backend database (IBM Informix), and also learn the underlying table schematic in order to be able to extract this data. We believe this labor has resulted in meeting the spirit of your request. Attached is a zipped file that contains a CSV file (the requested electronic format). The CSV file contains the following:
1. Incnum - Incident Number
2. Munname – Municipality Name
3. Dtreceived – Date and Time Call Received
4. Inctype – Incident Type
5. Locentered – Location of Call
6. Busname – Business Name (if Applicable)
7. UnitID – ID of Unit Dispatched
8. Status – One of the following values
a. AT HOSP – Leaving a scene enroute to Hospital
b. AT LZ – Arrived at Landing Zone
c. AT STA – Arrived back at Station
d. AWAITING CREW – Awaiting Crew to Respond
e. CLEAR – Clear the scene
f. DISP – Dispatched to Scene
g. LV HOSP – Leaving Hospital
h. LV STA – Leaving Station
i. ONLOC – Arrived at Scene
j. RESP – Responding to Scene
k. RET STA – Returned to Station
l. STAGING
m. STANDBY
n. TO HOSP – Heading to Hospital
o. TO JAIL – Heading to Jail
p. TO LZ – Heading to LZ
q. TO STA – Heading to Station
9. Dtstatus – Date and Time of the status above
Because this is in a tabular format, there are going to be multiple lines for a given incident. Specifically one line per unit dispatched per status that was captured for that unit. For example, if one incident had 4 units and each of those 4 units went thru the 4 typical stages of DISP, RESP, ONLOC, CLEAR; you will have 4x4 or 16 lines for that one incident.
You will see that these records date back to 10/20/2015. Our 911 Communications Center changed CAD vendors in October 2015. The old CAD was kept in service for the required 7 years and has since been decommissioned. Hence, the older records you requested no longer exist.
We trust this has been helpful, and believe this fulfills your request.
Regards,
Holly Luberto
Warren County Public Information Department
Wayne Dumont, Jr. Administration Building
165 County Rt. 519 South
Belvidere NJ 07823
908-475-6580 / 800-554-8540
-- Attach a non-image file and/or reply ABOVE THIS LINE with a message,
and it will be sent to staff on this request. --
Warren County, NJ Government Public Records
Record request #26-181 has been closed. The closure
reason supplied was:
Responsive records have been released; request has
been fulfilled.
[1]View Request 26-181
https://warrencountynj.nextrequest.com/r...
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Thank you, Ms. Luberto.
The csv format and instructions are excellent.
Yours sincerely,
William Sosis, Esq.
