Requesting camera footage and related records regarding a township trailer and the use of a construction barrel at Alden and Lackawanna.
Dear Wallington Borough,
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: Pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA), I request access to and copies of the following government records:
1. Any and all video footage from cameras mounted on a township-owned trailer located at or near the intersection of Alden Street and Lackawanna Avenue in Wallington, New Jersey. The trailer is positioned on the southeast corner of the intersection, and the cameras are facing toward the northwest corner, which is the area relevant to this request.
Specifically, I request footage for:
• Thursday, March 19, 2026, between approximately 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM
• Sunday, March 22, 2026, between approximately 9:00 AM and 12:30 PM
This request includes, but is not limited to, footage depicting my daughter's white Infiniti (personal vehicle) and any activity involving a construction barrel or traffic control device being placed, moved, or used in that area, including to identify any individual using such equipment for personal purposes.
2. Any and all video footage from the same trailer cameras showing ongoing or repeated placement or use of a construction barrel or similar traffic control device at this location on Thursdays (alternate side parking days) within the past six months, including footage that may identify who is using the device.
3. Any and all records, including but not limited to work orders, logs, internal communications, or directives, explaining the purpose, authorization, and duration of placement of the township trailer with cameras at this location, and any records explaining the presence and use of the construction barrel at this location.
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,
A concerned patent
Dear M.R.,
This comes in response to your OPRA Request for:
“1. Any and all video footage from cameras mounted on a
township-owned trailer located at or near the intersection of Alden Street
and Lackawanna Avenue in Wallington, New Jersey. The trailer is positioned
on the southeast corner of the intersection, and the cameras are facing
toward the northwest corner, which is the area relevant to this request.
Specifically, I request footage for:
• Thursday, March 19, 2026, between approximately 10:30 AM and 11:30
AM
• Sunday, March 22, 2026, between approximately 9:00 AM and 12:30 PM
This request includes, but is not limited to, footage depicting my
daughter's white Infiniti (personal vehicle) and any activity involving a
construction barrel or traffic control device being placed, moved, or used
in that area, including to identify any individual using such equipment
for personal purposes.
2. Any and all video footage from the same trailer cameras showing
ongoing or repeated placement or use of a construction barrel or similar
traffic control device at this location on Thursdays (alternate side
parking days) within the past six months, including footage that may
identify who is using the device.
3. Any and all records, including but not limited to work orders,
logs, internal communications, or directives, explaining the purpose,
authorization, and duration of placement of the township trailer with
cameras at this location, and any records explaining the presence and use
of the construction barrel at this location.”
In response to point 1, The Police Department provided the link below to a
google drive for responsive records
[1]https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1...
In Response to point 2, Please be advised that your request for “Any and
all video footage from the same trailer cameras showing ongoing or
repeated placement or use of a construction barrel or similar traffic
control device” is too broad and voluminous. The Open Public Records Act
deals with requests for readily identifiable public records. The Custodian
of Records is not supposed to perform research to determine which
documents exist, but rather to make available to a requestor specific
record that have been identified by the requestor. Please clarify your
request by providing specific record(s) you are seeking.
The Wallington Police Department has advised that the trailer camera
referenced in your request was installed on February 18, 2026. Based on
the six (6) Thursdays since installation, and focusing on the hours of
8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., the review of the requested footage would require
approximately eighteen (18) hours. Please be advised that a special
service charge will apply due to the time required to review and redact
multiple video files. A special service charge will be based on the
officer’s hourly rate. Your OPRA request did not specify a maximum
authorization cost. The hourly rate is $78.76, and it is estimated to take
approximately (18) hours to complete. The estimated total is $1,417.68
($78.76 x 18 hours).
In Response to point 3, The Wallington Police Department as well as
Department of Public Works have both advised that there are no responsive
records per your request.
If your request seeks information or asks questions and does not identify
specific government records, same is not a valid OPRA request. When a
request is “complex” because it fails to specifically identify the
documents sought, then that request is not “encompassed” by OPRA. See New
Jersey Builders Association v. New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing,
390 N.J.Super. 166, 180 (App. Div. 2007). A proper request under OPRA
must identify with reasonable clarity those documents that are desired,
and a party cannot satisfy this requirement by simply requesting all of an
agency's documents. See Bent v. Stafford Police Department, 381
N.J.Super. 30, 37 (App. Div. 2005). Custodians are not required to
conduct research or create new records in response to an OPRA request.
Regards,
Casey Kimmel, RMC
Borough Clerk
Borough of Wallington
(973) 777-0318 ext. 201
[2][email address]
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References
Visible links
1. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1...
2. mailto:[email address]