Dear Neptune 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-5(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:

1. CAD and Arrest Reports for 26NT20377

2. I seek all Body-Worn Camera Footage and audio communication recordings for any police officers involved for the above incident.

3. Please provide all dash camera footage and audio communication for any police car involved for the above incident.

4. Any and all radio transmissions between police dispatch and any officers involved for the above incident.

5. Any and all cell phone calls/phone calls between police dispatch and any officers involved for the above incident.

6. A list of all police officers and their badge numbers who were on scene for the above incident.

Please include a Vaughn index with your response.

*A Vaughn index that identifies each record requested and the specific legal basis for a denial of access (including redactions) to each record.

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,

ASK NJ Media

Dear William Bray,

Please proceed with my legitmate OPRA request.

Yours sincerely,

ASK NJ Media

Dear William Bray,

Could you please identify the specific provision of OPRA, or any applicable case law, that requires a requestor to provide a mailing address, rather than an email address, in order to retain the right to seek review or appeal under OPRA?

I have reviewed N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(f), but I do not see a provision that expressly requires a mailing address as a condition of preserving those rights. My understanding is that, because I have previously verbally identified myself as Jen Coombs, the representative of my media brand, and have provided my email address, I have identified myself as the requestor and provided sufficient contact information for correspondence regarding my request.

If there is a statutory provision, regulation, or judicial decision requiring a mailing address in addition to a requestor's name and email address, I would appreciate it if you could identify that authority.

Yours sincerely,

ASK NJ Media

Dear William Bray,

Thank you for your response.

Please process my OPRA request. My understanding is that the Township remains subject to the response deadline established under OPRA, and that the requested records are due no later than Wednesday, August 5, 2026, absent a lawful basis for an extension or denial.

My question, however, was not whether N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(f) authorizes a custodian to deny an incomplete request. Rather, I asked whether there is any statutory provision, regulation, published Government Records Council decision, or judicial opinion holding that a requester who provides their name and email address, but not a mailing address, thereby loses the right to seek review before the Government Records Council or the Superior Court.

N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(f) states that the request form shall provide space for an address, but it does not expressly state that a physical mailing address is mandatory, nor does it state that omission of a mailing address waives appeal rights or automatically renders a request legally incomplete where the requester has identified themselves and provided an email address for correspondence.

If you are relying on any authority beyond the text of N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(f), I would appreciate a citation to that authority, including any applicable statute, regulation, published Government Records Council decision, or judicial opinion supporting your interpretation.

In the meantime, I respectfully request that my OPRA request be processed in accordance with the requirements of OPRA.

Yours sincerely,

ASK NJ Media

Dear William Bray,
Thank you for your response.

I respectfully disagree that my request is incomplete or that the response period under OPRA has been tolled.

My understanding is that my electronic request satisfies the requirements of N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(f), as amended, and therefore constitutes a valid OPRA request. I have identified myself as Jennifer (Jen) Coombs, and my email address has been provided for correspondence regarding this request. Accordingly, I continue to expect the Township’s response on or before Wednesday, August 5, 2026, unless the Township identifies a lawful basis under OPRA for an extension or denial.

Although you have stated that my request is incomplete because I have not provided a mailing address, you have not identified any statute, regulation, published Government Records Council decision, or judicial opinion holding that a requester who has identified themselves by name and provided an email address for correspondence must also provide a physical mailing address in order for an electronic OPRA request to be deemed complete or for the statutory response period to be suspended.

Given that this appears to present a question of statutory interpretation under the recently revised OPRA provisions, I respectfully request that you confer with the Township Attorney before taking a final position on the completeness of my request or the applicable response deadline. If the Township continues to maintain that my request is incomplete or that the statutory response period has been tolled, I respectfully request that you identify the legal authority upon which the Township relies.

Accordingly, I respectfully request that the Township process my request in accordance with OPRA and produce the responsive records by the statutory deadline or otherwise issue a response that complies with the requirements of the Act.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Jennifer (Jen) Coombs
ASK NJ Media

Dear William Bray,
Thank you for your response.

To eliminate any question regarding my identity, my name is Jennifer (Jen) Coombs, and I am the representative of ASK NJ Media.

I respectfully request that you confer with Township Attorney Lester Taylor regarding the Township’s interpretation of the revised OPRA statute before determining that my request is incomplete. I have not abandoned my OPRA request, as I have repeatedly requested that it be processed in accordance with OPRA.

I also note that the New Jersey Government Records Council’s Custodian’s Handbook (Eighth Edition, January 2025) provides:

“Anyone may file an OPRA request! … requestors may file OPRA requests anonymously without providing any personal contact information, and the request shall not be considered incomplete.”

The Handbook further explains that, under P.L. 2024, c.16, anonymous requestors are not permitted to file a complaint with either the Superior Court or the Government Records Council. See Government Records Council, Custodian’s Handbook (8th ed. Jan. 2025), “Who may file an OPRA request?”, citing N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(f).

Because I have identified myself as Jennifer (Jen) Coombs and have provided an accurate email address for correspondence, I respectfully maintain that my OPRA request is complete under the revised OPRA statute.

Furthermore, because I have identified myself and provided accurate contact information for correspondence, I respectfully maintain that I am not an anonymous requestor under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(f). Accordingly, it is my understanding that I have preserved my right to seek review of any denial or deemed denial through either the Superior Court or the Government Records Council, consistent with the revised OPRA statute.

Accordingly, I continue to expect the Township’s response within the statutory time period established by OPRA. If, after consulting with Township counsel, the Township maintains that my request is legally incomplete solely because it does not include a physical mailing address, I respectfully request that you identify the specific statutory provision, published Government Records Council decision, or judicial opinion supporting that interpretation.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to the Township’s response and, consistent with my understanding of OPRA’s statutory time requirements, to receiving the requested records by Wednesday, August 5, 2026.

Respectfully,

Jennifer (Jen) Coombs
ASK NJ Media

Dear William Bray,

Thank you for your response.

For clarification, I identified myself on July 28, 2026, through our email correspondence by identifying myself as Jen Coombs, the representative of ASK NJ Media, and by providing my email address for correspondence regarding my OPRA request.

I appreciate your confirmation that my request has now been forwarded to the Police Records Custodians for processing. Based on my original request and my understanding that the statutory response period applies, I look forward to receiving the Township’s response and the requested records by Wednesday, August 5, 2026.

Respectfully,

Jennifer (Jen) Coombs
ASK NJ Media

Dear William Bray,
I would like to provide the following documentation for your reference regarding my OPRA request.

I note that the New Jersey Government Records Council’s Handbook for Records Custodians (Eighth Edition – January 2025) explains that an OPRA request may be submitted in writing by hand delivery, mail, or electronic transmission, and that requestors are permitted to submit their request via “a letter, or an email” in lieu of the official request form, provided it contains the information required on the adopted form. Custodians Handbook (Eighth Edition - Jan 2025)(Final).pdf

The Handbook further provides:

“Some public agencies and third parties (such as OPRAmachine) have created systems that allow a citizen to fill out an online request form and file it with the custodian over the Internet. The means of submitting a request form (mail, in-person, email, Internet) will not affect which records will or will not be available for access.” Custodians Handbook (Eighth Edition - Jan 2025)(Final).pdf

Additionally, the Handbook states that requestors must identify the records sought as specifically as possible, while recognizing that requestors may not know the precise names of records and that the spirit of OPRA contemplates custodians assisting requestors in identifying responsive records. Custodians Handbook (Eighth Edition - Jan 2025)(Final).pdf

My original electronic OPRA request, submitted through OPRAmachine, identified incident 26NT20377 and specifically requested the CAD and arrest reports, body-worn camera footage, dash camera footage, radio transmissions, telephone communications, a list of responding officers with badge numbers, and a Vaughn index. It also included the certifications regarding commercial use and litigation required by the adopted form.

I appreciate your confirmation that my request has now been forwarded to the Police Records Custodians for processing. Based on my original request and my understanding of OPRA’s statutory response requirements, I look forward to receiving the Township’s response and the requested records by Wednesday, August 5, 2026.

For your convenience, I have also included a link to the New Jersey Government Records Council’s Handbook for Records Custodians (Eighth Edition – January 2025) for reference.

https://www.nj.gov/grc/custodians/handbo...

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully,

Jennifer (Jen) Coombs
ASK NJ Media