Dear Mount Holly Township,

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.

This request seeks records relating to the Internal Affairs matter regarding Officer Deborah Murillo, according to the New Jersey Major Discipline Reporting 2023. I seek the following records pursuant to the common law right of access; Rivera v. Union County Prosecutor’s Office, 250 N.J. 124 (2022); and Attorney General Law Enforcement Directive 2022-14.

1. The Internal Affairs Report for the above-mentioned incident.

Please note that AG Directive 2022-14 requires disclosure of this IA report. Additionally, the Rivera factors apply because:

1. The nature and seriousness of the misconduct.
According to the Report, Officer Murillo abrasively neglected and ignored a twelve-year old student’s sexual contact report for months. Not only did Officer Murillo fail to act regarding a serious matter, but they also failed to preserve evidence and secure evidence for another case. This was, then, clearly repeated conduct. As a society, it is public policy for officers to be not only, on the bare minimum, engaging with potential sexual conduct reports, but especially with child victims.

2. The alleged misconduct was substantiated.
The conduct was substantiated, as Detective Gonzalez was suspended for thirty days as a result of the investigation against them.

3. The nature of the discipline imposed.
Officer Murillo was suspended as a result.

4. The nature of the official’s position.
Officer Murillo was a School Resource Officer at F.W. Holbein Middle School. Although not the highest of rankings, responsible for the most vulnerable members of the community and therefore acting as an essential position.

5. The individual’s record of misconduct.
Officer Murillo was charged for
i. Obedience to laws and rules
ii. Neglect of duty
iii. Performance of duty

Under penalty of N.J.S.A. 2C:28-3, I certify that:
1. I, or another person will not use the requested records for a commercial purpose.
2. I am not seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
3. I have not been convicted of an indictable offence.

My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as attachments. 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.

Thank you for your time.

Yours faithfully,
Makoto