“The police, one of the foundations of the criminal justice system, must ensure the public trust if the system is to perform its mission to the fullest.”
U.S. Department of Justice
Across the state, law enforcement agencies are using dash cameras and body cameras, as well as a variety of written reports, to capture their officers’ daily activities and interactions with the public. From a public interest viewpoint, the public needs information about these interactions to evaluate the conduct of law enforcement officers, hold police departments accountable, and contribute meaningfully to discussions about law enforcement policy and reforms.
The Stein Public Interest Center is focused on expanding the rights of the media and citizens to have access to police records, including dash cam and body cam footage, Use of Force Reports, internal affairs records, and information about police-involved shootings.
Among the dozens of lawsuits we have filed to obtain police records, several have been particularly groundbreaking. For example, in the landmark New Jersey Supreme Court case North Jersey Media Group v. Twp. of Lyndhurst, 229 N.J. 541 (2017), our attorneys pursued The Record’s quest for police records relating to a deadly police-involved shooting. After a three-year litigation battle, we prevailed when the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that the public was entitled to know the identities of the officers who shot and killed a suspect, and to review Use of Force Reports and dash camera footage relating to the shooting. The decision was praised by The New York Times’ Editorial Board.
The Stein Public Interest Center’s pursuit of police transparency is ongoing as we continue to litigate issues of first impression, such as public access to body camera footage, access to Use of Force Reports involving juvenile subjects, and access to information about police misconduct.
Significant Cases
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State Troopers Fraternal Association of New Jersey v. State of New Jersey and Gurbir S. Grewal
On July 7, 2020, CJ Griffin Director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden (PSWH) filed a more... - Landmark decisions regarding access to police records more...
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Wronko v. N.J. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 453 N.J. Super. 73 (App. Div. 2018)
Lawsuit regarding whether the NJSPCA was a "public agency" subject to OPRA more...
Press Releases
- On July 7, 2020, CJ Griffin Director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden (PSWH) filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf more...
- When Pashman Stein Walder Hayden partners CJ Griffin and Samuel J. Samaro received the unanimous decision in North Jersey Media Group v. Twp. of Lyndhurst, 229 N.J. 541 (2017) from the New Jersey Supreme Court on July 11, 2017, it was clear that this hard-fought matter was a landmark case that would have significant impact on transparency about the use of force by police in the state of New Jersey. more...
News Coverage
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CJ Griffin Quoted in New Jersey Monitor Article Regarding the Need for More Police Transparency
CJ Griffin, Director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, was quoted in New Jersey Monitor article, "Case of Jersey City cop highlights lack of police transparency." more... - CJ Griffin, Director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, was quoted in in an Opinion of the Star Ledger Editorial Board, "NJ's police transparency effort is failing. more...
- CJ Griffin, Director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, was quoted in the Northjersey.com article, "NJ Legislature passes bill to let police view bodycam video before filing incident reports." more...
- CJ Griffin, Director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, was quoted in NorthJersey.com Article, "NJ Supreme Court rules that attorney general can release names of disciplined police." more...
- The article discusses the recent New Jersey Supreme Court ruling addressing Law Enforcement Directives 2020-5 and 2020-6, which were issued by Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal in June 2020, ordering the disclosure of the names of law enforcement officers who receive major discipline. more...
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Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center Releases its 2020 Year in Review.
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CJ Griffin Quoted in Article Regarding Directives to Make Police Disciplinary Records Public
CJ Griffin, Director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, was quoted in The Trentonian, "AG Grewal's bad-cop directives headed for NJ Supreme Court." The article discusses Attorney General Gurbir Grewal's authority to reform police accountability. more... - North Jersey Media Group v. Twp. of Lyndhurst, 229 N.J. 541 (2017) and Paff v. Ocean Cnty. Prosecutor's Office, 235 N.J. 1 (2018) more...
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Police shooting videos should be public, N.J. attorney general says | NJ.com | January 30, 2019
North Jersey Media Group v. Twp. of Lyndhurst, 229 N.J. 541 (2017) and Paff v. Ocean Cnty. Prosecutor's Office, 235 N.J. 1 (2018) more... -
We Have Police Videos. Now What? | The New York Times | July 14, 2017
North Jersey Media Group v. Twp. of Lyndhurst, 229 N.J. 541 (2017) and Paff v. Ocean Cnty. Prosecutor's Office, 235 N.J. 1 (2018) more...