“Daniel’s Law” Online Portal Will Soon Open for Public Officials Covered by the Law to Have Personal Information Removed from Public Disclosure

  • Posted on: 06/28/2022

Authorized Public Officials Will Be Able to Register to Have Home Addresses Redacted from Certain Records and Internet Postings

TRENTON, NJ – Following the opening of the Office of Information Privacy (OIP) in March to facilitate the State’s implementation of Daniel’s Law, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and OIP are announcing that an online portal will launch on July 12, 2022 for all authorized public officials and public agencies to apply to have specific personal information redacted from certain records and internet postings.

Daniel’s Law was enacted in response to the tragic death of Daniel Anderl, the son of Judge Esther Salas and Mark Anderl. The law prohibits disclosure of the residential addresses of certain persons covered by the law (“Covered Persons”) on websites controlled by state, county, and local government agencies. The community of Covered Persons includes former, active, and retired judicial officers, prosecutors, and members of law enforcement and their immediate family members residing in the same household. 

“Daniel’s Law has quickly become a central part of our approach toward ensuring that our dedicated public servants feel safe and protected in their homes from people who seek retribution or harm,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as DCA Commissioner. “To effectively carry out their jobs, public servants must feel safe. The OIP is working hand-in-hand with our state agencies and partners to ensure that this portal does what it is intended to do – protect and save lives.”

“The Office of Information  Privacy stands ready to honor requests for redaction and carry out the task of protecting covered public servants who reside in New Jersey,” said OIP Director Christine Campbell. “We remain confident that we can work together with public agencies and Covered Persons to make the safeguards at the center of this law a reality.”

“Not a single day goes by that I don’t think about my Daniel. For me and my husband Mark, there is nothing we can do to bring our Daniel back. However, if you are a Covered Person, you have an option,” said United States District Judge Esther Salas. “Please log onto the portal on July 12, follow the steps and apply for the safeguards of Daniel’s Law.”

As Covered Persons await the opening of the portal on July 12, DCA and OIP suggest that they establish an account on the MyNewJersey website if they do not already have one. When the OIP Portal is available, they will use their MyNJ log in to access the Portal. While most active Covered Persons already have such accounts, retired or formerly active Covered Persons may not. Taking this step now will allow Covered Persons to submit their requests as soon as the OIP Portal is ready to receive them.

The OIP was established within DCA under P.L.2021, c.371 and signed by Governor Murphy earlier this year to create and manage the process by which authorized persons can register to have a Covered Person’s home address information redacted from certain records and internet postings. Authorized persons include any person who is a covered person (former, active, and retired judicial officers, prosecutors, and members of law enforcement), a federal District Court or Marshals Service designee, certain individuals legally designated to act on behalf of a covered person, and parents or legal guardians of covered persons who are minors.

The OIP guidelines will inform state, county and local government agencies of the steps they need to follow to secure personal information when a redaction request has been approved by the OIP for a Covered Person

For more information about the Office of Information Privacy, please visit: nj.gov/dca/oip/.

 

DCA offers a wide range of programs and services, including energy assistance, housing vouchers, affordable housing production, fire and building safety, community planning and development, local government management and finance, and disaster recovery and mitigation.

For more information about DCA, visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on social media: 

   DCa on Twitter

       

Related Links
Contact:

Gina Trish,
Tammori Petty,
Lisa Ryan
ph#: 609-292-6055