Police Department Inquiry
Dear Collingswood Borough,
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: Polices, procedures, SOPs, general orders, training materials, directives, and/or memoranda prepared and sent "from" any one in the police department, department of law (solicitor), and/or commissioner of public safety and directed "to" Collingswood law enforcement personnel where the subject is the collection, securing, and preserving of crime scenes, physical evidence, and/or electronic evidence.
Same may be delivered to this electronic mail address.
Yours faithfully,
Burt Erney
Mr. Erney,
I am in receipt of your OPRA request dated March 30, 2021 regarding the policies, procedures, and other related documents concerning the collection, securing, and preservation of physical and/or electronic evidence from a crime scene.
Your request is denied as you have submitted an overly broad request. The request does not identify a specific sender, recipient, and/or time period; rather the request seeks the referenced documents “from” any one in the police department, department of law, and/or commissioner of public safety that was directed “to” any one in the Collingswood law enforcement personnel without any reference to a specific time period.
Thank you.
K. Holly Mannel
Borough of Collingswood
Borough Clerk
678 Haddon Avenue
Collingswood, NJ 08108
(856) 854-0720 ext. 127
(856) 854-0632 Fax
[Collingswood Borough request email]
WARNING:
Email received by or sent to Borough officials is subject to the Open Public Records Act [OPRA]. This means that absent some specific privilege, all such communications are considered a public record and are subject to publication and/or dissemination to the public upon request.
Dear [email address],
The denial is not legal. The basis of the denial as over broad focuses only on the memoranda/electronic mail lacking a specific sender. The remainder of the request was for training materials, SOPs, and general orders issued by the Collingswood Police Department. Why would you deny the request completely when only one small subset of the request is unclear? What are you all hiding from? Superior Court Decisions do not even support the denial based on the sender recipient type. The custodian actually has to prove he/she did the search. You have not done this. Why is that?
Please treat each record type requested as it's own OPRA request. The original request is clarified below.
Sincerely,
Burt
1. Training materials for crime scene preservation and/or evidence collection (physical and/or electronic evidence)
2. Standard Operating Procedures of the Collingswood Police for crime scene preservation and/or evidence collection (physical and/or electronic evidence)
3.Policies of the Collingswood Police for crime scene preservation and/or evidence collection (physical and/or electronic evidence)
4. General Orders of the Collingswood Police for crime scene preservation and/or evidence collection (physical and/or electronic evidence)
5. Memoranda sent from the Collingswood Police Chief , Deputy Chief, and/or Commissioner of Public Safety to any or all Collingswood Police Officers and Detectives of the Collingswood Police where the topic is crime scene preservation and/or evidence collection (physical and/or electronic evidence). Date range is October 1996-present.
6.Electronic Mail sent from the Collingswood Police Chief , Deputy Chief, and/or Commissioner of Public Safety to any or all Collingswood Police Officers and Detectives of the Collingswood Police where the topic is crime scene preservation and/or evidence collection (physical and/or electronic evidence). Date range is October 1996-present.
Yours sincerely,
Burt Erney
Dear [email address],
Please respond if your agency is responding to my clarified OPRA request dated April 9 or if your decision of April 6 stands.
Yours sincerely,
Burt Erney
Hello,
I’m currently out of the office with no access to email.
I will return Tuesday February 9, 2020
Best Regards,
K. Holly Mannel, RMC
Borough of Collingswood
678 Haddon Avenue
Collingswood, NJ 08108
Mr. Erney,
I have not been able to complete our review and response to your request. I will need additional time. I will respond to your request by Tuesday, April 27, 2021.
Thank you.
K. Holly Mannel
Borough of Collingswood
Borough Clerk
678 Haddon Avenue
Collingswood, NJ 08108
(856) 854-0720 ext. 127
(856) 854-0632 Fax
[Collingswood Borough request email]
WARNING:
Email received by or sent to Borough officials is subject to the Open Public Records Act [OPRA]. This means that absent some specific privilege, all such communications are considered a public record and are subject to publication and/or dissemination to the public upon request.
Mr. Erney,
I am Chief Carey’s administrative assistant. The Borough’s records
custodian is out of the office today. Therefore, I am responding to your
request. Based upon a review of your request and a search of department
records, I have been asked to advise you of the following:
1. There are no government records responsive to this request.
2. There are no government records responsive to this request.
3. There are no government records responsive to this request.
4. There are no government records responsive to this request.
5. There are no government records responsive to this request.
6. There are no government records responsive to this request.
Regards,
Victoria Sheffield
Records Clerk
Collingswood Police Department
[1]735 N. Atlantic Avenue
Collingswood, NJ 08108
Office: [2]856-854-1901, Ext. 229
Fax: [3]856-854-1867
Email: [email address]
References
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