Please accept this as my request for government records under both OPRA and the common law right of access. Thank you very much for your commitment to transparent government.

BACKGROUND:

New Jersey's Records Retention Schedule for Municipal Police Departments (M900000-009) requires, under 'Record Series 0083-0000' for the Berlin Township Police Department to retain a 'Summonses Log Book' that 'Lists: date, summons number, statute number, officer number, court date, and location. The log keeps a monthly and yearly total of all summonses.' It must be retained for '1 Years After all summonses have been returned to court.'

RECORDS REQUESTED:

1. I would like the pages from the Berlin Township Police Department's 'Summonses Log Book' showing the entries for October 2023.

Dear Ms. Underwood:

Thank you very much for this listing. Would you please accept this email (via OPRAMachine) as my supplemental request under both OPRA and common law?

Background:

On March 14, 2024, I made an OPRA request via OPRAMachine for "the pages from the Berlin Township Police Department's 'Summonses Log Book' showing the entries for October 2023." On March 19, 2024, the Township produced a report that disclosed nine pages of traffic citations. What I am interested in, however, are the summons that officers issue for non-traffic violations, such as municipal ordinance violations that are usually issued on what the courts call a "Special Form" of Complaint. (Note: "Special Forms" are the paper tickets that officers issue for municipal ordinance violations and the like. See, e.g., September 17, 2009 "Notice to the Bar" on-line here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14O4Ycki...

Records Requested:

The pages from the Berlin Township Police Department's 'Summonses Log Book' showing the entries from November 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023 that charge non-traffic violations.

Thank you very much.

Dear Ms. Underwood:
Thank you very much.
Yours sincerely,
John Paff