Crime data on drug crimes and staff roster - nj june 9,2025
Dear Plainfield Police Department,
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:
Good Day.
I hope you are doing well.
I am requesting the following records from your agency.
Can you please provide a list of officers currently employed by the police department by name and rank. Also by District/ time period.
Drug crimes possession of all illegal drugs.
I want a list of the suspects' drugs charges and the officer who made the arrest.
I want crime data on this crime from the years 2023-2025.
Also, a list of the most frequent crimes your community faces.
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
I look forward to hearing from you.
If possible please send all requested records by email.
Thank you.
Take care and be well.
Best regards,
Cameron Oliver
904-489-9118
[email address]
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,
Cameron John Oliver
Good Morning Mr. Oliver,
Your OPRA request and a list of all officers currently employed by the
police department by name and rank are attached. We do not maintain a
list of the officers by "District / time period". The redacted names on
the list are civilian employees. In regards to the other items on your
request, see below.
The City of Plainfield (“City”) is in receipt of your Open
Public Records Act (“OPRA”) request dated June 9, 2025 . Please be
advised that a request for "any and all" documents or open-ended demands
"for every document a public agency has on file" has been held to be an
improper OPRA request. Gannett N.J. Partners L.P. v. County of Middlesex,
379 N.J. Super. 205 (App. Div. 2005). OPRA does not "'authorize a party
to make a blanket request for every document' a public agency has on file.
. . . Rather, a party requesting access to a public record under OPRA must
specifically describe the document sought." Bent v. Twp. of Stafford
Police Dep't, 381 N.J. Super. 30, 37 (App. Div. 2005) (quoting Gannett
N.J. Partners, LP v. County of Middlesex, 379 N.J. Super. 205, 213, (App.
Div. 2005)). A valid OPRA request requires "a search, not research." Id.
As such, a proper request under OPRA must identify with reasonable
clarity those documents that are desired, and a party cannot satisfy this
requirement by simply requesting all of an agency's documents. Here, the
request seeks all arrest records from the last 2 years and would require
research that would substantially disrupt the operations of the Police
Department. Therefore, the City herein denies your OPRA request as it is
overly broad and encompasses research. We request that you reduce the
scope of your request should you wish to pursue responsive records.
LT. Michael Richards
Service Bureau
Plainfield Police Dept.