TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey's Supreme Court has ruled a northern New Jersey town doesn't have to release security-camera footage from outside its town hall under state open records laws.
In a split decision, the court held Tuesday that Bloomfield was correct in denying the request for the video.
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The petition was for:
a request for security video made by Patricia Gilleran, a resident who was investigating possible misuse of municipal parking spaces by local officials
The defense responded:
Town officials claimed that releasing the footage would create a "security risk" by disclosing the surveillance camera's capabilities and, because the town hall was next to a police station, jeopardize the safety of crime victims, witnesses and confidential informants coming and going from the building.
I don't buy the argument that it would "jeopardize the safety of crime victims, witnesses, and confidential informants...." Anyone wanting to take advantage of that information could simply sit outside the police station themselves and film the coming and goings from the station.
In my opinion, it's a public record and should remain that way.
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