New Jersey Police Car Videos Deemed Public Records
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) -- A New Jersey judge has determined that videos routinely captured by cameras mounted in police cars during traffic stops and other law enforcement activities in the state are public records.
The recent decision handed down by state Superior Court Judge Vincent Grasso means authorities cannot withhold the videos, even if they say they pertain to criminal or internal-affairs investigations.
The judge's decision involved rulings he made in two similar but separate cases. Both matters involved people who made Open Public Records Act requests for videos of specific traffic stops.
Authorities in both cases denied the requests, arguing that the videos were exempt from disclosure under the law because they were criminal investigatory records. They also argued they were part of ongoing investigations, as well as internal-affairs investigations.
The judge ruled that if police agencies require the regular recording of law enforcement activities, the videos qualify as government records and cannot be shielded if they later become parts of investigations.
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