Police OPRA Request
Dear Long Beach 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:
Police Body worn camera footage of all motor vehicle accidents between 7-1 and 7-7-25
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.
The maximum authorized cost is $0.
I kindly request that any special service fee be waved as there is a significant public interest in this information
Yours faithfully,
Tony Michael
Yours faithfully,
Tony Michael
Tony Michael,
The official Records Custodian for the Township of Long Beach received
your OPRA request on Friday, October 17, 2025. Although your request was
originally submitted on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, it was inadvertently
filtered into a spam folder and not accessed by the custodian until
October 17. Accordingly, the seven (7) business day deadline to respond to
your request is October 28, 2025. This response is being provided on the
second business day following the custodian’s actual receipt of the
request.
Your request seeks:
“All body-worn camera footage for motor vehicle accidents occurring
between July 1, 2025, and July 7, 2025.”
Please be advised that the requested records are not immediately available
and require extensive review and redaction in accordance with OPRA
exemptions, including but not limited to personal identifying information,
medical content, and law enforcement investigatory material.
OPRA permits public agencies to impose special service charges when the
nature, format, or volume of a government record requires an extraordinary
expenditure of time and effort to fulfill. See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5.c.
In accordance with Long Beach Township §5-10C (3)(b), where the required
work must be performed by a member of the Police Department due to
authorized access requirements and/or the nature of the records requested,
the special service charge shall be equal to the prorated salary of the
lowest ranked full-time police officer employed by the Police Department,
currently set at $62.50 per hour.
Based on our CAD reports, the estimated time required to review, redact,
and prepare the responsive footage is approximately 23 hours, resulting in
a preliminary cost estimate of:
• 23 hours × $62.50/hour = $1,437.50
Per Long Beach Township §5-10C (3)(d), the requestor shall have the
opportunity to review and object to the special service charge prior to it
being incurred. If you wish to proceed, you must provide 50% of the
estimated fee ($718.75) as a deposit prior to commencement of work. The
remaining balance will be due upon completion and prior to release of the
records.
Due to the extraordinary nature of the records requested, this estimate is
being provided as a preliminary special service agreement. The time and
cost outlined above are based on a rough estimate derived from available
CAD data. Should you choose to narrow the scope of your request (e.g., by
limiting dates, incident types, or specific officers), we may be able to
provide a more refined and potentially reduced estimate.
Before proceeding, please confirm in writing whether you wish to:
• Accept the estimated cost and proceed with processing the request.
• Narrow the scope of your request to reduce time and cost.
• Withdraw the request.
No work will begin until we receive your written confirmation and payment
of the estimated special service charge. If you have any questions or wish
to discuss this matter further, please feel free to contact me directly.
Respectfully,
Kristen Bellitto, CMR
Assistant Municipal Clerk / Mayor’s Secretary
Township of Long Beach
609.361.6633
Tony Michael,
Good morning and Happy Halloween. I’m reaching out for status on the
Special Service Fee Agreement that I emailed you on 10/21/25. Please know
if I do not receive written notice by Monday, November 3, 2025, by 9:30am
of acceptance of this agreement, then I will consider this request
closed. If you choose to obtain these records after that date and time,
you will need to start the process over by applying with a new OPRA
request. Thank you and enjoy your day.
Respectfully,
Kristen Bellitto, CMR
Assistant Municipal Clerk / Mayor’s Secretary
Township of Long Beach
609.361.6633
From: Kristen Bellitto
Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2025 12:23 PM
To: '[OPRA #81907 email]'
<[OPRA #81907 email]>
Cc: Danielle Lavalle <[Long Beach Township request email]>;
'[email address]' <[email address]>; Brendan Kerlin
<[email address]>; David Brady <[email address]>; Erin
Rickvalsky <[email address]>
Subject: OPRA: SPECIAL SERVICE FEE AGREEMENT
Tony Michael,
The official Records Custodian for the Township of Long Beach received
your OPRA request on Friday, October 17, 2025. Although your request was
originally submitted on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, it was inadvertently
filtered into a spam folder and not accessed by the custodian until
October 17. Accordingly, the seven (7) business day deadline to respond to
your request is October 28, 2025. This response is being provided on the
second business day following the custodian’s actual receipt of the
request.
Your request seeks:
“All body-worn camera footage for motor vehicle accidents occurring
between July 1, 2025, and July 7, 2025.”
Please be advised that the requested records are not immediately available
and require extensive review and redaction in accordance with OPRA
exemptions, including but not limited to personal identifying information,
medical content, and law enforcement investigatory material.
OPRA permits public agencies to impose special service charges when the
nature, format, or volume of a government record requires an extraordinary
expenditure of time and effort to fulfill. See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5.c.
In accordance with Long Beach Township §5-10C (3)(b), where the required
work must be performed by a member of the Police Department due to
authorized access requirements and/or the nature of the records requested,
the special service charge shall be equal to the prorated salary of the
lowest ranked full-time police officer employed by the Police Department,
currently set at $62.50 per hour.
Based on our CAD reports, the estimated time required to review, redact,
and prepare the responsive footage is approximately 23 hours, resulting in
a preliminary cost estimate of:
• 23 hours × $62.50/hour = $1,437.50
Per Long Beach Township §5-10C (3)(d), the requestor shall have the
opportunity to review and object to the special service charge prior to it
being incurred. If you wish to proceed, you must provide 50% of the
estimated fee ($718.75) as a deposit prior to commencement of work. The
remaining balance will be due upon completion and prior to release of the
records.
Due to the extraordinary nature of the records requested, this estimate is
being provided as a preliminary special service agreement. The time and
cost outlined above are based on a rough estimate derived from available
CAD data. Should you choose to narrow the scope of your request (e.g., by
limiting dates, incident types, or specific officers), we may be able to
provide a more refined and potentially reduced estimate.
Before proceeding, please confirm in writing whether you wish to:
• Accept the estimated cost and proceed with processing the request.
• Narrow the scope of your request to reduce time and cost.
• Withdraw the request.
No work will begin until we receive your written confirmation and payment
of the estimated special service charge. If you have any questions or wish
to discuss this matter further, please feel free to contact me directly.
Respectfully,
Kristen Bellitto, CMR
Assistant Municipal Clerk / Mayor’s Secretary
Township of Long Beach
609.361.6633