OPRA Request For Bodycam Footage & Incident Reports
Hello,
Under penalty of NJSA 2C-28-3.1, I certify that I, Keith Moreno of Houston, Texas, have not been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
Under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq., I am requesting an opportunity to obtain all body-cam footage, dash-cam footage from police vehicles, and any incident reports pertaining to Incident #2025-00810 on 1/7/2025 involving Officer Eric Larsen (UOF25-1-1) and a 36-year-old African American female suspect.
If multiple officers with active BWC responded to this incident, I would appreciate footage POVs of a primary and secondary arresting officer. I apologize for not being able to provide you with the arrestee's name or exact time of the incident. However, I hope the information provided will nonetheless be sufficient to retrieve these records.
These records are not being sought for commercial or legal purposes. I am extremely grateful for your assistance in this matter. Please don't hesitate to contact me via email if additional information is required or to provide me with digital access to the records: [email address].
If you deny any or all of this request, please cite each specific exemption you feel justifies the refusal to release the information and notify me of the appeal procedures available under the law.
Thank you and best regards,
Signed,
Keith Moreno
8917 S Gessner Dr
Houston, Texas 77074
(281) 496-1588
Good afternoon,
The Township has conducted a search and located the attached Arrest
Reports in reference to Case #2025-00810. Personal identifiers have been
redacted pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 and -5, and mug shots have been
redacted pursuant to Executive Order 69 (Whitman 1997). Be advised that
additional responsive police records were located but are exempt from
disclosure under OPRA as criminal investigatory records pursuant to
N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1
The Township has also located 26 responsive Body Worn Camera (BWC) footage
files, totaling 513 minutes. BWC camera footage must be reviewed and
redacted pursuant to OPRA, and is a time-intensive process. OPRA requests
that require up to four (4) hours to process are provided to the requestor
at no charge. Requests that take more than four hours require the payment
of a special service charge.
OPRA allows public agencies to impose special service charges when
fulfilling a request requiring an extraordinary expenditure of time and
effort. See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5.c. Special service charges must be based
upon the actual direct cost of providing the records. The statutory
formula for a special service charge is the direct hourly rate (minus
fringe benefits) of the lowest level employee capable of fulfilling the
request times the number of hours anticipated to complete the request. If
the requestor wishes to move forward with the request, they must pay the
special service charge in advance. The charge operates as an escrow, so if
the request is completed in fewer hours, the balance will be returned.
The charge includes retrieving the records, manually viewing the files for
redactions, redacting the files, and reviewing post-redaction.
The Township estimates that this would require 26 hours to fulfill, minus
the first four (4) hours, for a total of 22 chargeable hours. Therefore,
the special service charge to complete the request would be $1,320 based
on an estimated 22 hours by the Clerk at a rate of $60.00 per hour.
Kindly respond in writing with your acceptance or rejection of this
estimated charge. We will not begin to process this request until we
receive your written acceptance.
If you reject the estimated charge and you wish to challenge the special
service charge, you have a right to challenge the decision. 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 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.
Regards,
Carolyn George, RMC
Municipal Clerk
Township of Mahwah
475 Corporate Drive
Mahwah, NJ 07430
201-529-5757, ext. 232
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.state.nj.us/grc