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.
Can I Be Charged for My Request
OPRA allows governing bodies to charge fees to cover the cost of reproduction. Electronic copies should not have any fees. Governing bodies are also allowed to charge labor fees - but only if the request requires an extraordinary amount of time or effort.
Tools to Use
The NJ OPRA Machine and The NJ OPRA Portal are two resources for submitting requests online.
Possible Requests That Could be Made
Information that could be dug up would include the following. Ideally an OPRA request should be as specific as possible.
Contracts and Agreements
These may include contracts with vendors, agreements with Homeowners Associations, purchase orders with vendors, agreements with local and the NJ State Police. Vendor proposals, RFP responses, and bid documents may be requested.
Locations of Cameras and other surveillance equipment
A specific request for an inventory of cameras, ALPRs, and other surveillance devices the agency is responsible for or may be partnered with another organization for could be requested. Include in your request that you want the locations, count, and type of each device listed in the inventory.
Policies, Procedures, and Legal Authority Documents
Any documents that specify the data retention and archiving, data usage, policies for access, and general policies for deployment could be requested.
Permitting Documents
Before installing a pole on a public street an analysis and permitting process should have been followed. Was there an application and process followed? If so you may be able to obtain these documents.
Feasibility and other Studies
Were any studies done on the potential impact the surveillance device would have on crime? Were there any studies done after the device was installed to determine a change in citizen's behaviors?
Actual Data Collected?
You can try to request data collected with a specific license plate, but we believe that such a request would be denied as being part of a "criminal investigation". If you succeed let us know. An alternative is accessing publicly available info such as that available from haveibeenflocked.com. We note that (at this time) none of their sources listed include any agencies in New Jersey.
Sample OPRA Request
See this article for a sample comprehensive OPRA request of information. One can also browse OPRA requests made concerning Flock at the OPRA Machine.