Dear Town of Secaucus,

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:

Pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA), I respectfully request access to the following government records:

All body-worn camera footage, dash camera footage, and rear seat camera footage (if applicable) related to the arrest of Maritza Velez (44 years old, of Secaucus, NJ) on October 15, 2024, at approximately 10:14 a.m.

The arrest occurred in furtherance of an investigation by the Secaucus Police Department Detective Division, concerning a Theft by Deception incident that was reported to police on September 13, 2024, involving forged checks deposited into Ms. Velez’s bank account. The checks were forged from a non-existent account.

Ms. Velez was charged with Theft by Deception [2C:20-4] and Forgery [2C:21-1A(3)], and was issued a complaint summons before being released from police custody.

Please include footage from shortly before, during, and after the officers’ arrival at Secaucus Police headquarters; all investigative interactions; the arrest process; and any transport if applicable. If multiple officers or recording devices were present, please provide footage from each.

If any footage will be withheld or redacted, please notify me in advance, provide a specific explanation for each withholding, and cite the legal basis. Given the strong public interest in transparency regarding financial crimes and police accountability, full disclosure is essential.

I respectfully request that any associated fees be waived, as this request is made in the public interest for purposes of transparency and news reporting. If fees are necessary, please inform me first before fulfilling the request.

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,

woodlfilms