Update: 02/18/16 – Court orders release of video.
On October 19, 2014, Neptune Township (Monmouth County) Police stopped Maurice Mitchell’s car and ended up arresting him for resisting arrest, obstruction of justice and driving under the influence. I submitted an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to Neptune Township Clerk Richard Cuttrell for, among other records, the police dash cam video that allegedly captured Mitchell resisting and obstructing. Cuttrell denied my request.
Although a few courts have held that police dash cam videos are disclosable under OPRA, it is still an emerging legal issue that will benefit from more litigation. Accordingly, CJ Griffin of the Pashman Stein law firm in Hackensack, has filed a lawsuit on my behalf to force disclosure of the video. The lawsuit, brief and other documents are on-line here. Neptune’s opposition brief and my reply brief are on-line here.
