OPRA: police officer-involved lawsuits 2012-2019
Dear Oxford 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:
1. A list of all lawsuits and cases in which any officer of the police department was involved between 2012 and 2019. For each lawsuit/case, please provide the date (month and year) of the alleged incident at issue, whether the alleged incident was excessive force, settlement amount (if any), and final compensation amount ruled (if any).
2. Please provide copies of the complaint in any lawsuits and cases described above.
Yours faithfully,
UC Research
Dear Taeho Kim,
As you know, I am the Custodian of Records for Oxford Township, and I wanted to follow up on my prior communication to you with respect to the OPRA requests I have received from you.
Specifically, on May 28th I received your OPRA requests which are dated May 27th and May 28th and seeking the following: OPRA: police officer-involved lawsuits 2012-2019; Payroll record 2012-2019 in the police department and Use of force reports 2017-2019.
Typically, and keeping in mind that Oxford does not have a police department and that I have to contact and wait for a response from a different municipality (Washington Township), I will make every effort to immediately turn this type of records request around.
However, as you may be aware, pursuant to Executive Order, Governor Phil Murphy declared that a Public Health Emergency and State of Emergency exists in the State of New Jersey as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak which is a contagious, and at times fatal, respiratory disease. In order to protect the health and safety of residents and employees, Oxford has limited access to the municipal building, to essential personnel and its operating with reduced staff, as is Washington Township. As a result, responding to OPRA requests at this time may disrupt municipal operations. N.J.S.A.47:1A-5(g). Therefore, ten (10) business days are required to begin the process to respond to your OPRA requests. Moreover, the New Jersey Legislature passed Bill No. A3849 on March 19, 2020, which amends OPRA to permit records custodians to extend the OPRA deadline in times of emergency. Please be advised that your consent is not required for this extension but I ask that you acknowledge this correspondence and provide your consent.
Oxford Township will endeavor to timely respond to your request and records will be provided as soon as possible but hopefully by no later than June 8, 2020.
If you disagree with me about any of the foregoing, please immediately let me know so we can discuss and resolve the issue. If I require an extension beyond the above date, I will reach out to you before it passes and discuss the reasons why an extension is needed as well as the length of additional time I require in order to respond.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at your convenience.
Thank you.
Sheila L. Oberly, RMC
11 Green Street
Oxford, NJ 07863
(908) 453 3098 Ext 201
OPRA request - OPRA request - Use of force reports 2017-2019
Dear Oxford 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:
All use of force reports completed by the police department from January 1st 2017 to December 31st, 2019.
Yours faithfully,
Eric K.
OPRA request - OPRA: Payroll record 2012-2019 in the police department
Dear Oxford 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:
For all employees working in the police department from 2012-2019:
Please provide the name, hire date, current status (whether active or separated), and date of separation.
Yours faithfully,
Necon
Taeho Kim,
As per your OPRA Request for Police Officer Involved Lawsuits. I have received a response from Washington Township Police Department and no records exists. Since the Police Department does not have Police Officer Involved Lawsuits, I believe this OPRA Request is now closed. If you disagree or need any additional information, which I can provide to you, please contact me. If I hear nothing from you, I will know that you agree with this decision. Have a Nice Day.
Sheila L. Oberly, RMC, CMR
11 Green Street
Oxford, NJ 07863
(908) 453-3098 Ex. 201
Fax:(908) 453-3787
Taeho Kim,
The information that you requested is attached but I just received notification from Washington Township Police Department that you requested past employees since 2012 and these records cannot be easier accessed, so in order to get you the information, the personnel files need to be sorted through and are in archives.
I am requesting that as per Governor Murphy's State of Emergency and because of the COVID-19 outbreak, Oxford Township and Washington Township is operating with a reduced staff and limited access to the Municipal Buildings. Therefore, ten (10) business days are required to begin the process to respond to your OPRA requests. Moreover, the New Jersey Legislature passed Bill No. A3849 on March 19, 2020, which amends OPRA to permit records custodians to extend the OPRA deadline in times of emergency. Please be advised that your consent is not required for this extension but I ask that you acknowledge this correspondence and provide your consent.
I will endeavor to timely respond to your request , and records will be provided as soon as possible but hopefully no later than June 22, 2020.
If you disagree with me about any of the foregoing, please immediately let me know so we can discuss and resolve the issue. If I require an extension beyond the above date, I will reach out to you before it passes and discuss the reasons why an extension is needed as well as the length of additional time I require in order to respond.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at your convenience.
Sheila L. Oberly, RMC, CMR
11 Green Street
Oxford, NJ 07863
(908) 453-3098 Ex. 201
Fax:(908) 453-3787