TRENTON -- Dashboard video of fatal encounters with police should be released in most cases as a matter of public interest, New Jersey's Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Tuesday.

The court ordered local and state law enforcement to release video and other records from a 2014 police chase and fatal shooting to North Jersey Media Group, which publishes The Record newspaper.

Reversing a lower court decision that had severely curtailed public access to video and other police records, the justices rejected arguments from New Jersey's attorney general that such disclosure would undermine investigations and unnecessarily put the officers involved at risk.

Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote in the 49-page decision that withholding the video "can undermine confidence in law enforcement and the work that officers routinely perform."

"It can also fuel the perception that information is being concealed -- a concern that is enhanced when law enforcement officials occasionally reveal footage that exculpates officers," Rabner wrote.

The underlying case involved the death of Kashad Ashford, a 23-year-old Newark man who led police on a chase through several Bergen County towns in a stolen SUV.

The man's family accused police of excessive force, but the four officers who fired at him after he crashed into a guard rail were cleared by a grand jury more than a year after the incident. The officers told investigators Ashford rammed a police vehicle and they feared he would run them over.

The incident came at a time when law enforcement practices across the country faced scrutiny over the deaths of young black men in police shootings. To date, authorities have refused to identify the officers involved or release video from the scene.

Reporters from the media group requested documents from the incident, including use of force reports, dashboard video and investigatory records including witness statements. Those requests were denied, but the news organization challenged the denial in court and won.

An appeals court, however, later reversed the ruling, finding that video and use of force reports -- which had in other instances been made public -- were not subject to release under New Jersey's Open Public Records Act, known as OPRA, or the common law right of access.

That decision set a precedent that law enforcement agencies across the state quickly began invoking to deny news organizations and members of the public access to records that they previously handed over.

Open records advocates on Tuesday hailed the ruling as a victory for the public's right to know.

"The balance is going to tip in favor of disclosure," said Samuel Samaro, an attorney for North Jersey Media Group. "That's a really big deal for the press."

Under the ruling, authorities have to release information about police shootings, including the names of the officers involved and the use of force reports, which are basic forms that briefly describe how and why police officers forcibly subdue a suspect.

The justices found those records were subject to OPRA, the 2001 law that broadened public access to government records. They also ruled that dashboard video from the scene should have been released under the older common law provision because of the "public's powerful interest" in its disclosure.

The case, known as NJMG v. Lyndhurst, had drawn interest from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and a broad coalition of news gathering groups including NJ Advance Media, which also argued in favor of releasing the records.

Lawyers for the state and several police unions contended that releasing the names of officers involved in fatal shootings could jeopardize their safety. Rabner wrote that the court had to balance important interests in making its decision.

"Officer safety is always a vital concern," the chief justice wrote. "The need for a prompt, thorough, and reliable investigation is likewise important. And the need for transparency, which OPRA is designed to foster, also weighs heavily, particularly when law enforcement uses its most awesome authority -- deadly force."

The ruling is expected to strengthen public access to police records, but restrictions remain. The court upheld the denial of other investigatory records such as witness statements, finding those materials were exempt.

Members of the public may still have to hire a lawyer to convince a judge to order the release of video. Under the common law right of access, the requester must make a compelling argument that release is in the public interest and is not entitled to recover attorney's fees.

But Samaro, the attorney for the media group, said the decision creates a "strong presumption" in favor of releasing police videos.

Following the decision, Judge Glenn Grant, the acting administrative director for New Jersey's court system, sent a memo to judges instructing them to handle common law requests in such cases "expeditiously."

Samaro said his client had not yet received the material ordered released by the court. NJ Advance Media on Tuesday filed additional requests for the records with the Attorney General's Office and the State Police.

Peter Aseltine, a spokesman for Attorney General Christopher Porrino, said in an e-mail state prosecutors "appreciate that the court gave careful consideration to this important matter and we respect its decision."

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.