Dawn Marie Casale
Dear Clark Township,
This is a request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form. Please acknowledge receipt of this message.
Records requested:
I am requesting all Police, Fire and EMS reports where the name of Dawn Marie Casale is mentioned as a witness, suspect, complainant or caller to the above departments between 2010, and July, 2020.
Yours faithfully,
Red Rum
Your request has been received and will be processed in accordance with the Open Public Records Act.
Edith L. Merkel, RMC
Township Clerk
Township of Clark
430 Westfield Ave.
Clark, NJ 07066
(732) 388-3669 ph.
(908) 347-8348 c.
(732) 388-1241 fx.
To: Red Rum
From: Edith Merkel, Township Clerk, Township of Clark
Re: OPRA - Dawn Marie Casale
Date: July 15, 2020
The Township of Clark received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request on July 3, 2020 a legal holiday (building closed). The official Records Custodian, Edith Merkel, received your OPRA request on July 6, 2020. As such, the seven (7) business day deadline to respond to your request is July 15, 2020. This response to your request is being provided to you on the seventh business day after the custodian's receipt of said request.
See below for responses from the Chief of Police and Fire Chief. I do not have contact information for EMS other than the non-emergency phone number 732-388-0001 which they did not answer. Their physical address is 875 Raritan Road, Clark. HIPAA may exempt their records from disclosure.
If your request for access to a government record has been denied or unfilled within the seven (7) business days required by law, you have a right to challenge the decision by the Township of Clark to deny access. 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 P.O. Box 819, Trenton, NJ, 08625, by e-mail at [email address], or at their web site at www.state.nj.us/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 in your County.
POLICE CHIEF'S RESPONSE