OPRA - police officer-involved lawsuits 2012-2019
Dear Salem City,
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 in above.
Yours faithfully,
UC Research
5-29-2020
Dear Taeho Kim,
The City of Salem received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA) (Request # 2020-05-12) request on May 27, 2020. As such, the seven (7) business day deadline to respond to your request is June 5, 2020.
A copy of your OPRA request is below.
Your request requires additional time beyond the seven (7) business days to fulfill because of the size and nature of the request. OPRA allows custodians to seek extensions of time pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5.i. Specifically, OPRA states that, “the requestor shall be advised by the custodian when the record can be made available. If the record is not made available by that time, access shall be deemed denied.”
Your request requires an extension of time until July 9, 2020.
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 City of Salem 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.
PLEASE CONTACT THE CITY OF SALEM RECORDS CUSTODIAN BEFORE TAKING ANY ACTION TO CHALLENGE THE CUSTODIAN’S DECISION FOR CLARIFICATION OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE CUSTODIAN’S RESPONSE.
Thank you for your patience in this matter.
Sincerely,
Ben Angeli, RMC
City of Salem
City Administrator/Clerk
856-935-0373 Ext. 219
Cell: 609-774-6498
[email address]
The City of Salem received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request (OPRA REQUEST #2020-05-12).
The statements below are being provided in their entirety and are responsive to your request.
Please find the your request and response below:
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).
There is no record that exists that is responsive to your request.
2. Please provide copies of the complaint in any lawsuits and cases described in above.
Please see two attachments that are responsive to this request.
This response is being transmitted to you via e-mail as per your request.
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 City of Salem 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.
PLEASE CONTACT THE CITY OF SALEM RECORDS CUSTODIAN BEFORE TAKING ANY ACTION TO CHALLENGE THE CUSTODIAN’S DECISION FOR CLARIFICATION OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE CUSTODIAN’S RESPONSE.
Sincerely,