The ACLU-NJ, as a friend-of-the-court, filed a brief in support of a person who requested a copy of video recordings of a law enforcement dashboard camera (dashcam) under the Open Public Records Act. The brief argues that, when analyzing these requests, courts need to take into account the strong public interest in disclosing videos of alleged police misconduct. The brief also argues that the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office did not justify withholding the information, and that if public agencies seek to keep a record secret, they are obligated to prove that the record is exempt from disclosure with case-specific information and not speculative or generic claims of harm.

Attorney(s)

CJ Griffin, Pashman Stein

Date filed

April 9, 2018

Court

New Jersey Supreme Court

Status

Closed