TRENTON, NJ — A judge has told the New Jersey state police they must hand over employee pay stubs and overtime data to an open records advocate who sued for them.

State Police officials maintain that disclosing how much troopers make in overtime would pose a security threat because the top overtime earners often work in sensitive areas.

The records are being sought by John Paff, an open records advocate who regularly files records requests and posts the results on his blog. His attorney told NJ Advance Media she found the duty assignments of multiple troopers who work in sensitive areas by using information found on social media sites, including the state police Facebook page.

The state Attorney General’s Office, which represented the state police, declined comment on whether they would appeal.

From The Associated Press via U.S. News & World Report