On this page we shall gather some simple (and legal!) tools for activists to use to help preserve our privacy. To quote Jason Bassler "Surveillance only works when you stay quiet. Flock dies when we start asking real questions.".

Open Public Records Act

All government agencies in New Jersey must adhere to the requirements of the Open Public Records Act. Anyone can request information. You do not need to be a citizen, requests can also be done anonymously

Who to Request Information From

Determining who exactly to request the information from depends on what information you are seeking. The owner or entity responsible for a surveillance device may not be readily apparent. The responsible party may be your town, your County, or perhaps a local homeowners association. The location of the device may help. Is it on a County Road? State Road? Entrance to a development?

What Information Can I Request

The OPRA law is crafted so that you can obtain government records that exist. Your request should be for specific information that government has in some form. It can not be used to request research. 

Sample OPRA Request

The following OPRA request is based on a generic one written by @Jason Bassler of  The Free Thought Project. It has been customized for New Jersey usage.

We had this request reviewed by the Chair of the NJLP Open Government Advocacy Project. In his (and our) opinion much of this is contains requests that are too broad of a request. NJ OPRA requests should request specific documents and not seek information. We include the sample request anyway because it does suggest some good ideas. Two relevant cases, Bent v. Stafford Police Department and MAG v. Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control hold that requests must specify identifiable government records rather than broad, open-ended demands for information.

We do not recommend the below sample OPRA as written. Instead, we would suggest:

  • Submit smaller OPRA requests instead of one big OPRA request
  • Research what documents should exist and request the actual documents whenever possible. This research may involve smaller OPRA requests that allow the peeling of the onion to locate additional documents. The research may also include going to your town hall and talking to the building inspector or official who may have some knowledge.
  • Avoid any request that states "All information ..." or "Any ...".

One could submit the below (or portions thereof) as a test and may learn something from the denial. Also note that too much in one request may result in a charge based on the excuse of the request taking an extraordinary amount of time to fulfill.

To the Custodian of Records: 

Coming Soon

Coming soon are tools and sample scripts to email your federal, state, and local legislators, suggestions on attending and speaking up at public meetings, and more!