DOVER — Dover Focus filed an OPRA (Open Public Records Act) with the Town of Dover Municipal Clerk, the Records Custodian, for the Dover Police Department in the incident involving Councilman Sergio Rodriguez which occurred on September 25.
Dover Focus, as of this date, has not published any stories directly on the incident, due to not having the proper facts.
Frank Cahill, Publisher of Focus, stated, “At Focus, we adhere to a strict policy of obtaining official documents from authorities before releasing any information. This approach ensures accuracy and safeguards against potential lawsuits. Since we began publishing on October 1, 1989, Focus Publications has faced only two lawsuits regarding articles we released, and in both cases, we prevailed. Our commitment has always been to uphold the highest standards of responsible journalism.”
We received the following message from the Municipal Clerk of the Town of Dover regarding our OPRA request.
“Your request sought access to the following records:
All arrest reports, and police reports regarding Sergio Rodriguez on Sept. 25th.
We have been advised by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office that police reports are criminal investigatory records, and they would object to providing those records at this time. The New Jersey Supreme Court has concluded that early disclosure of records containing details of the incident “will often be “inimical to the public interest”, and thus, would be an impediment to the state’s constitutional obligation to investigate and prosecute responsible parties for their alleged criminal conduct. N.J.S.A. 47:1A-3. North Jersey Media Group, Inc. v. Twp. Of Lyndhurst, 229 N.J. 541, 574 (citing N.J.S.A. 47:1A-3).” Therefore, police report records are exempt from disclosure at this time pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1 GRC Exemption No. 4 and N.J.S.A. 47:1A-3 –GRC Exemption No. 20.
Therefore, at this time, there are no records responsive to your OPRA Request. This request is now deemed complete and closed.”
