Submit an OPRA Request to the New Jersey State Police

NJ OPRA Portal is a free, legally compliant way to submit an official OPRA request directly to the working New Jersey State Police records custodian. Use the crash-report option when NJSP investigated a motor-vehicle or boat crash. Use the general public-records option for other identifiable NJSP records, such as an operations report, body-worn-camera recording, mobile-video recording, CAD event history, policy, training material, or statistical record.

Quick answer

Both options use NJ OPRA Portal’s direct filing workflow. You do not have to purchase a crash report through a separate website to submit a valid public-records request.

Step 1: Choose the correct NJSP records path

NJSP crash report

Choose the accident-report path if an NJSP trooper investigated the collision and you need the NJTR-1 or related crash records. NJ OPRA Portal sends the resulting official OPRA request directly to the NJSP records custodian. Use the agency or station shown on the driver exchange, summons, case paperwork, or other scene documents.

Other NJSP public records

Use the general public-records path for identifiable NJSP records other than a crash report. Describe specific records rather than asking NJSP to answer questions or conduct research.

Records governed by separate processes

• A statewide criminal-history record is obtained through the State Bureau of Identification’s criminal-history process, not an ordinary OPRA request.
• Individual firearms applications, purchaser identification cards, permits, licenses, and related background investigations are confidential under N.J.A.C. 13:54-1.15.
• Public Megan’s Law information is available through the official New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry.
• A lost traffic summons is handled through the New Jersey Courts municipal case system.

Step 2: Identify the records precisely

Depending on the incident or subject, NJSP may maintain:

• NJTR-1 motor-vehicle crash report and supplements
• Operations, traffic, criminal, DWI, or boating reports
• Body-worn-camera recordings
• Digital in-vehicle or mobile-video recordings
• Computer-aided dispatch event history
• NJSP-maintained 911 or radio communications
• Scene or evidentiary photographs, subject to applicable access rules
• Use-of-force data or reports
• Published or disclosable discipline summaries and annual reports
• Policies, procedures, directives, training materials, contracts, and statistical records

Listing a category does not promise full disclosure. NJSP may grant access, provide a redacted record, deny access under a specific exemption, or identify another process or custodian.

Step 3: Provide details that locate the record

• Date and approximate time
• Exact location, roadway, direction, milepost, or station
• Incident, case, crash, or report number
• Trooper name or badge number, if known
• Names of involved persons, when useful and appropriate
• Type of event or enforcement action
• Each record category requested
• A reasonable date range
• Desired electronic format

For correspondence or messages, OPRA’s current specificity rules require the request to identify the job title or accounts to search, a specific subject matter, and a reasonable time period.

Sample NJSP request language

Please provide the NJSP operations or incident report, CAD event history, radio transmissions, body-worn-camera recordings, mobile-video recordings, and responsive photographs maintained for the incident occurring on [DATE] at approximately [TIME] at [LOCATION, ROADWAY, DIRECTION, AND MILEPOST], under case or report number [NUMBER], if available. The incident involved [NAME OR DESCRIPTION], and the responding trooper or station was [TROOPER OR STATION], if known. Please provide responsive records electronically where available. If any portion is withheld or redacted, please identify the specific legal basis.

When NJSP is the right agency

NJSP provides patrol and investigative services through regional troop areas and specialized units. Troop D is responsible for the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway regions. Troop A identifies an Atlantic City Expressway station, and other NJSP troop stations have assigned interstate, highway, and municipal responsibilities.

Do not assume NJSP holds a record solely because an event occurred on a numbered highway. Local, county, transit, campus, port, park, or authority law enforcement may have investigated the event. The agency or station identified on the paperwork is the best routing evidence.

NJSP crash reports and toll-road records through OPRA

NJ OPRA Portal can send an official OPRA request directly to the NJSP records custodian for an NJTR-1 and related records from an NJSP-investigated crash. This includes NJSP-maintained records concerning crashes on the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, Atlantic City Expressway, and other roads patrolled by NJSP.

N.J.S.A. 39:4-131 states that information contained in motor-vehicle accident reports is not privileged or confidential. In Scheeler v. New Jersey State Police, the Government Records Council ordered NJSP to disclose an accident report for a Garden State Parkway crash that the requestor had sought through OPRA.

Filing through NJ OPRA Portal is free, and the request asks for electronic delivery. A separate purchase website is not required to submit a valid public-records request.

Body-worn-camera and mobile-video records

NJSP’s systems include body-worn cameras and digital in-vehicle recording. A request should identify the date, time, location, trooper or unit, case number, and event.

In Fuster v. Township of Chatham, the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered a body-worn-camera recording released under the circumstances before it and rejected the asserted automatic-confidentiality rationale for an uncharged person’s law-enforcement information. The Court did not hold that every body-worn-camera recording must be released without applying OPRA, Body Worn Camera Law, privacy, victim, juvenile, criminal-investigation, security, or other rules.

Timing and responses

NJSP states that its Open Public Records Unit must respond to a completed request as soon as possible and no later than seven business days. NJSP explains that a response may grant or partially grant access, deny access, or advise that an extended compliance period is needed.

That response period is not a universal final-production guarantee. Archived records, unavailable records, commercial-purpose requests, lawful extensions, redaction work, large video files, and other statutory circumstances may affect timing. Some records are provided sooner, sometimes the same day.

Denials, redactions, and other custodians

If NJSP denies or redacts a record, the response should identify the legal basis. If another agency created or maintains the record, current OPRA provisions may allow NJSP to direct the requestor to that agency.

A requestor who is accurately identified by name may challenge a denial through the Government Records Council or Superior Court, subject to applicable deadlines and procedures. An anonymous requestor may submit an OPRA request but cannot institute an OPRA denial proceeding under the current statute.

Related guides

• Get my New Jersey accident report
• New Jersey accident-report guide
• New Jersey police reports
• Body-worn-camera footage
• 911 audio and CAD records
• Submit an OPRA request

Official sources

Reviewed 2026-07-29 by Benjamin Shore, Esq. This guide is general information about New Jersey public records, not legal advice.

• NJSP — Open Public Records Unit (New Jersey State Police)
• Scheeler v. New Jersey State Police (New Jersey Government Records Council)
• P.L. 2023, c.55 — N.J.S.A. 39:4-131 amendment (New Jersey Legislature)
• NJSP — Identification & Information Technology Section (New Jersey State Police)
• NJSP — Troop D Road Stations (New Jersey State Police)
• NJSP — Troop A Road Stations (New Jersey State Police)
• GRC — Readable Version of OPRA (New Jersey Government Records Council)
• GRC — Records Request Forms (New Jersey Government Records Council)
• Fuster v. Township of Chatham (New Jersey Supreme Court)
• N.J.A.C. 13:54-1.15 — Confidentiality of Firearms Records (New Jersey State Police)
• NJSP — Office of Professional Standards (New Jersey State Police)

Frequently asked questions

How do I file an OPRA request with the New Jersey State Police?

Use the accident-report option when NJSP investigated a motor-vehicle crash and the general public-records option for other identifiable NJSP records. NJ OPRA Portal formats the official OPRA request and transmits it directly to the working NJSP records custodian.

Can I request an NJ State Police or toll-road crash report through NJ OPRA Portal?

Yes. NJ OPRA Portal prepares an official OPRA request and sends it directly to the New Jersey State Police records custodian. You can request an NJTR-1 for an NJSP-investigated crash, including crashes on the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, Atlantic City Expressway, and other roads patrolled by NJSP. Filing through NJ OPRA Portal is free, and the request asks for electronic delivery. You do not have to purchase the report through a separate website to submit a valid public-records request.

What NJSP records can I request?

You may request identifiable NJSP records such as operations reports, incident records, body-worn-camera or mobile-video recordings, CAD history, NJSP-maintained communications, policies, training materials, contracts, statistics, and other records. Disclosure, redaction, and exemptions are evaluated for the particular record.

Can I get body-camera footage from an NJSP trooper?

You may request it. Identify the date, time, location, trooper or unit, case number, and event. Access is not automatic; NJSP must evaluate OPRA, the Body Worn Camera Law, privacy, criminal-investigation, victim, juvenile, security, and other applicable rules.

Is filing an NJSP request through NJ OPRA Portal free?

Yes. NJ OPRA Portal does not charge for standard filing. The portal prepares the official OPRA request, sends it directly to the NJSP records custodian, and asks for electronic delivery.

How long does NJSP have to respond?

NJSP states that its Open Public Records Unit responds to a completed request as soon as possible and no later than seven business days. A response may grant, partially grant, deny, or identify a needed extension; it does not always mean final production is complete.

Can I request a statewide criminal-history record or someone’s firearms permit through OPRA?

Those records use different rules. A statewide criminal-history record is handled through NJSP’s criminal-history process. Individual firearms applications, purchaser identification cards, permits, licenses, and related background investigations are confidential under N.J.A.C. 13:54-1.15.

What if NJSP denies or redirects my request?

Read the stated reason and determine whether NJSP identified an exemption, requested clarification, or directed you to the agency that maintains the record. Depending on the circumstances and applicable deadlines, an accurately identified requestor may seek clarification, narrow the request, file a Government Records Council complaint, or proceed in Superior Court.