Matthew Siessel
Dear Cranford 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.
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:
All discipline records for police officer Matthew siessel for the past 30 years. (1/1/1994 to present day)
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,
Anonymous Resident
To whom it may concern,
My office is in receipt of your request for records pursuant to the Open
Public Records Act (NJSA 47:1A-1). The request was received by the
Clerk’s office on Monday September 19, 2024. As such, the seven (7)
business day deadline to respond to your request is September 30, 2024.
The records being requested are:
1. All discipline records for police officer Matthew Siessel for the past
30 years. (1/1/1994 to present day).
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Guidelines on Internal Affairs states:
“9.6.1 The nature and source of internal allegations, the progress of
internal affairs investigations, and the resulting materials are
confidential information and remain exempt from access under the New
Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1 to -13.” The Cranford
Police Department has adopted the guidelines for internal affairs by law
enforcement agencies under N.J.S.A. 40A:14-181. The Superior Court of New
Jersey, Appellate Division has upheld the denial to said documents in John
Paff v. Bergen County (App. Div. 2017).
In recognition of these principles of law and the Attorney General’s
Guidelines, your request is denied.
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 Cranford Police
Department 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
[1][email address], or at their web site at [2]www.state.nj.us/grc.
The council 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.
Detective Sergeant Steven D’Ambola, D.R.E.
Cranford Police Department
Records Bureau Supervisor
8 Springfield Avenue
Cranford, NJ 07016
Direct: 908-709-4313
Main: 908-272-2222
[3]https://www.cranfordnj.org/police-depart...
This email communication and any files transmitted with it contain
privileged and confidential information from the Cranford Police
Department and is intended solely for the use of the individuals or entity
to whom it has been addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you
are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this email is
strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please
delete it and notify the sender by return email.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.state.nj.us/grc
3. https://www.cranfordnj.org/police-depart...