Police internal affairs reports are not accessible under the Open Public Records Act, but may be obtained under the common-law right of access when pro-disclosure interests outweigh concerns for confidentiality, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Monday.

The ruling gives a green light to efforts to obtain the records of James Cosgrove, director of the Elizabeth Police Department for more than 20 years, who allegedly used racist and sexist language to refer to employees on multiple occasions.

The justices, in a 6-0 ruling, said Cosgrove's internal affairs report should be disclosed after redaction of legitimately confidential information, such as names of complainants, witnesses and informants.