After a bicycle accident left a man dead in Middle Township in March, the Herald received multiple inquiries from the public about the accident and reached out to the Middle Township Police Department to ask for information about what happened.
We were told a press release would be forthcoming, after a consultation with the prosecutor, and were asked to stand by. Days passed. When we followed up, the township sent the release, but by that point, rumors were circulating, and people were wondering about the accident and why their trusted local news source did not have anything on it.
We started to wonder why it took police so long to issue basic information about the crash. Were they hiding something?
Public access to government information and records is a key tenet of democracy. In New Jersey, that access is protected by the Open Public Records Act. We used this process to ask for the full accident report from the tragic incident.
While all towns are required to comply with the law, Middle has chosen to do so in such a way that makes receiving the information as inconvenient for the public as possible.
Middle Township demands payment for redactions of personal identifying information, like Social Security and driver’s license numbers. While the public has no basis to object to the exclusion of these private details from the provided reports, the process Middle Township has in place to make these redactions is not in the spirit of the law, which is designed to protect the open exchange of information, one of our country’s key principles.
In 2022, the Herald has made an official request for public information from Middle Township on three occasions. Each time, a representative of the company has had to drive to Middle Township’s offices and pay a fee for the processing of the redactions. The only alternative to showing up in person to pay is to mail a check or money order, which delays the process by days, not to mention the postage costs more than the enclosed check would be for.
The process of making the redactions simply involves a clerk crossing out certain information with a Sharpie.
For each of our first two requests this year, the town charged 55 cents. The third time, the town charged 20 cents. Although the township will email the records, they will not accept credit card payment, either in person or over the phone; will not offer change for cash payment; and will otherwise only take a check or money order.
The payment demand serves no purpose other than to add an obstacle for the public, so it is more inconvenient to obtain information that rightfully belongs to them. The town is supposed to be the custodian of this information but instead creates this inconvenience.
If Middle Township was really burdened with too many OPRA requests and needed an additional revenue stream to support the operation, how much of a help is 20 cents for 14 pages, as the paper paid for the 14-page report about the recent fatal crash? It’s not about the money – for the Herald or the town. Not to mention it is a service every resident has already paid for through taxes.
We implore Middle Township to join the rest of the municipalities in the county and begin providing this public information free of charge and inconvenience.
Until then, we will continue to arrive with quarters, nickels, dimes, and pennies, making up the exact change the township calls for, so we can obtain this public information for our readers and make sure the press releases the township takes days to prepare include all the relevant information.
