Excessive use of force by police officer Shawn Johnson
Dear Scotch Plains 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:
Investigation(s) of police officer Shawn Johnson for using excessive force.
Yours faithfully,
Anonomous
The Township of Scotch Plains received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request on October 18, 2023. As such, the seven (7) business day deadline to respond to your request is October 27, 2023.
Thank you.
Maryann Matteo
OPRA Compliance Clerk
Township of Scotch Plains
430 Park Avenue
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
908.322.6700 (office) ext. 213
908.322.1663 (fax)
[Scotch Plains Township request email]
NOTICE OF CONFIDENTIALITY
This message, including any prior messages and attachments, may contain advisory, consultative and/or deliberative material, confidential information or privileged communications of the Township of Scotch Plains. Access to this message by anyone other than the sender and the intended recipient(s) is not authorized. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, any disclosure, copying, distribution or action taken or not taken in reliance on it, without the expressed written consent of the sender is prohibited. If you have received this message in error, you should not save, scan, transmit, print, use or disseminate this message or any information contained in this message in any way and you should promptly delete or destroy this message and all copies of it. Please notify the sender by return e-mail if you have received this message in error
Anonymous:
The Township of Scotch Plains received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request on October 18, 2023. As such, the seven (7) business day deadline to respond to your request is October 27, 2023. This response to your request is being provided to you on the 4th business day after the custodian’s receipt of said request.
Request: For Shawn Johnson Investigation: See attached OPRA Request Email.
Response: Under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) this request is denied on the grounds that Internal Affairs reports are not accessible under OPRA. Furthermore, the same request under common law, the records are permissible if the requestor establishes an interest in the subject matter of the material; and the requestor's right to access must be balanced against the State's interest in preventing disclosure. Under this request that interest has not been established.
END OF REQUESTED ITEMS
By this letter of response, the Township of Scotch Plains will consider your OPRA request received on October 18, 2023, complete unless otherwise informed.
If you have any questions, please contact Sgt. Gerard Rites in the Police Department at 908-322-7100 ext. 140.
Thank you.
Maryann Matteo
OPRA Compliance Clerk
Township of Scotch Plains
430 Park Avenue
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
908.322.6700 (office) ext. 213
908.322.1663 (fax)
[Scotch Plains Township request email]
NOTICE OF CONFIDENTIALITY
This message, including any prior messages and attachments, may contain advisory, consultative and/or deliberative material, confidential information or privileged communications of the Township of Scotch Plains. Access to this message by anyone other than the sender and the intended recipient(s) is not authorized. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, any disclosure, copying, distribution or action taken or not taken in reliance on it, without the expressed written consent of the sender is prohibited. If you have received this message in error, you should not save, scan, transmit, print, use or disseminate this message or any information contained in this message in any way and you should promptly delete or destroy this message and all copies of it. Please notify the sender by return e-mail if you have received this message in error