OPRA and Common Law Right of Access Request — Personnel records, former employee John Santoliquido
Dear Atlantic County,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request per NJSA 47:1A-5(f), which states that an email from a requestor including all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place of a completed form as a valid government record request.
I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
Records requested:
1) Confirmation of John Santoliquido's dates of employment with the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office (hire date and separation date), and each title, rank, or position he held during that employment, together with the associated dates for each. (Public under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10.)
2) His salary/compensation history for each year of employment with the Office. (Public under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10.)
3) The reason for his separation from employment, as that term is used in N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10 ("date of separation and the reason therefore"). If the separation was voluntary, please provide any letter of resignation. If it was governed by a severance, separation, or settlement agreement, please provide a copy of that agreement. I request this both under OPRA and, to the extent any portion is treated as an exempt personnel record, under the common law right of access, given the public's interest in how a law enforcement agency handles the departure of personnel and in any use of public funds in connection with that departure.
4) Any Preliminary Notice of Disciplinary Action (PNDA), Final Notice of Disciplinary Action (FNDA), or final disciplinary finding resulting in "major discipline" (termination, demotion, or suspension of more than five working days) as those terms are used in the Attorney General's Internal Affairs Policy & Procedures and Law Enforcement Directives 2020-5 and 2021-6, and any entry concerning John Santoliquido in the Office's public summary/annual report of law enforcement officers who received major discipline, to the extent such a record exists and is required to be maintained or published under those Directives.
5) Any records reflecting his law enforcement training and certification history while employed by the Office, including completion dates for the Basic Course for Police Officers or equivalent investigator certification, in-service training, firearms qualification records, and any specialized training certificates, to the extent maintained by the Office (as opposed to records held solely by the Police Training Commission).
6) Any tort claim notices, civil complaints, or settlement agreements naming John Santoliquido as a defendant or subject, arising from his employment with the Office, where public funds were used to resolve the matter.
7) The status and final disposition of any internal affairs complaint(s) during his employment with the prosecutor’s office, including the assigned case/complaint number(s) and the date and substance of any disposition.
If any item above is denied in whole or in part, please cite the specific statutory or common-law basis for each such denial and produce all reasonably segregable, non-exempt portions of the record, as required under OPRA. If a requested record does not exist, please advise me of that fact rather than treating the request as denied.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by e-mail as PDF attachments. Please confirm receipt of this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please forward this request to the appropriate custodian and provide me with their contact information.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person and provide their email address to me for future reference.
Yours faithfully,
Erin