Police department Facebook comments
Dear Clark 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-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:
The list of all people banned or blocked from the police department Facebook page.
All hidden or deleted comments from the public on the police department Facebook page for December 2025 till today
The list of blocked words for the police department Facebook page.
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,
R Lord
This is to confirm that the Township of Clark has received your Open
Public Records Act (OPRA) request on January 20, 2026.
Under OPRA, the statutory response time is seven (7) business days from
the date of receipt, excluding the day the request was received. We will
respond to your request on or before Janaury 29, 2026, unless an extension
is necessary, in which case you will be notified in writing.
If clarification is needed to process your request, we will contact you
promptly. Please note that certain records may be exempt from disclosure
under OPRA or other applicable laws.
Thank you for your interest in public records.
Sincerely,
Christina DePack
Clerk's Office
Township of Clark
430 Westfield Avenue
Clark, New Jersey 07066
(732) 388-3669
January 23, 2026
R Lord
Dear R Lord,
The Township of Clark received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request
on January 20, 2026. The official Records Custodian, Edith Merkel,
received your OPRA request on January 20, 2026. As such, the seven (7)
business day deadline to respond to your request is January 29, 2026. This
response to your request is being provided to you on the 3^rd business day
after the custodian’s receipt of said request.
Your OPRA request sought access to the following:
1. The list of all people banned or blocked from the police department
Facebook page
2. All hidden or deleted comments from the public on the police
department Facebook page for December 2025 till today
3. The list of blocked words for the police department Facebook page.
Your request requires additional time beyond the seven (7) business days
to fulfill because records are maintained by outside vendor. 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 Friday, February 6, 2026.
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 Township of Clark 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.
Sincerely,
Edith Merkel
Township of Clark
(732) 388-3669
To: R Lord
From: Edith L. Merkel, Township Clerk, Township of Clark
Re: OPRA Request
Date: January 26, 2026
The Township of Clark received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request
on January 16, 2026. The official Records Custodian, Edith Merkel,
received your OPRA request on January 16, 2026. As such, the seven (7)
business day deadline to respond to your request is January 28, 2026.
This response to your request is being provided to you on the 5th business
day after the custodian’s receipt of said request.
Your OPRA request sought access to:
The list of all people banned or blocked from the police department
Facebook page.
All hidden or deleted comments from the public on the police department
Facebook page for December 2025 till today
The list of blocked words for the police department Facebook page.
Response: The records attached or below are responsive to your request
and provided in their entirety.
NOTE: Please be advised how our data is gathered and reported by our
third-party vendor:
>The reports generated by the vendor can identify content that is visible,
hidden, or deleted.
>Comments may be automatically hidden by Facebook based on content,
symbols, or platform rules.
>The Clark Police Department’s policy is not to delete comments from its
Facebook page.
>Facebook users retain the ability to delete their own posts or comments
at any time, independent of the page administrator.
In the future, you may email any OPRA requests to [email address].
The following legal basis applies to responses that include redactions. “A
government record shall not include the following information which is
deemed to be confidential for the purposes of P.L.1963, c. 73 (C.47:1A-1
et seq.) as amended and supplemented: that portion of any document which
discloses the social security number, credit card number, unlisted
telephone number or driver license number of any person…”
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 Township of Clark 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 [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.
Clark, NJ 07066
(732) 388-3669
[email address]
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.state.nj.us/grc
[1]LogoImg040
Township of Clark
Open Records Request
Reference # OPRA-2026-00008
Date Entered: 1/28/2026 11:33:26 AM
Dear R Lord,
This email is to confirm submission of your Open Public Records Act (OPRA)
request.
Additional emails will be sent upon processing of your request.
The request seeks access to the following records:
List of all people banned or blocked from the PD Facebook page
All hidden or deleted comments from the public on the PD Facebook page
from Dec 2025 - today
List of all blocked words for the PD Facebook page
A copy of the request is attached for your records.
as an option, we encourage you to use our [2]Public Form to submit your
next request
Please do not reply directly to this email; this address is not monitored.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Clerk's Office
at (732) 388-3669.
Sincerely,
Township of Clark
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Please download these attachments from the links below:
• [3]2cf86612-57353-5c0ec4d4-0fad-40c9-8a73-9f9b1407d3df.pdf
References
Visible links
2. http://url2645.govpilot.com/ls/click?upn...
3. http://url2645.govpilot.com/ls/click?upn...
[1]LogoImg7ee
Township of Clark
Open Records Request
Reference # OPRA-2026-00008
Date Entered: 1/28/2026 11:33:00 AM
Dear R Lord,
Your Open Public Records Act (OPRA) has been Fulfilled on .
The request sought access to the following records:
List of all people banned or blocked from the PD Facebook page
All hidden or deleted comments from the public on the PD Facebook page
from Dec 2025 - today
List of all blocked words for the PD Facebook page
Fulfilled Reasons:
The records are being transmitted to you via Email. Pursuant to N.J.S.A.
47:1A-5.b. the cost associated with this request is $0.00.
External Link (if applicable):
Please do not reply directly to this email; this address is not monitored.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Clerk's Office
at (732) 388-3669.
As an option, we encourage you to use our [2]public form to submit your
next request.
Sincerely,
Township of Clark
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Please download these attachments from the links below:
• [3]e2916911-4The_CPD_FB_Blocked_List_01_21_2026_20260128164447.jpg
• [4]e2916911-4The_CPD_FB_Key_Word_List_01_21_2026_20260128164447.jpg
• [5]e2916911-4ClarkPDOPRA01162026_20260128164647.zip
References
Visible links
2. http://url2645.govpilot.com/ls/click?upn...
3. http://url2645.govpilot.com/ls/click?upn...
4. http://url2645.govpilot.com/ls/click?upn...
5. http://url2645.govpilot.com/ls/click?upn...