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ASNE joins amicus brief in support of access to public records in NJ

 
ASNE joined an  filed by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in the New Jersey Supreme Court in a case, which might affect one of the more controversial public records issues at the state level: access to police video footage.
 
ASNE joined an 
filed by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in the New Jersey Supreme Court in a case, which might affect one of the more controversial public records issues at the state level: access to police video footage.

Signed by 19 media organizations and companies, the brief argues that surveillance footage from a security camera, mounted outside the town hall in Bloomfield, New Jersey, is not exempt from the New Jersey Open Public Records Act. The township had argued that the video should be subject to an existing OPRA exemption: "Emergency or security information or procedures for any buildings or facility, which, if disclosed, would jeopardize security of the building or facility or persons."

Of course, such a broad reading could potentially be applied to any video or other records relating to public buildings. However, as our brief notes, this would potentially undercut the entire public records law and undermine the public's ability to hold government and law enforcement accountable.

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