Bill Text: NJ A2074 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Authorizes Parole Board and sheriff's offices to hire alternate route trained police officers; exempts alternate route trainees from certain civil service requirements.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-03-21 - Received in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [A2074 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A2074-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman GORDON M. JOHNSON
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Authorizes Parole Board and sheriff's offices to hire alternate route trained police officers; exempts alternate route trainees from certain civil service requirements.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning police training, amending P.L.1998, c.146, and supplementing chapter 14 of Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 3 of P.L.1998, c.146 (C.52:17B-69.2) is amended to read as follows:
3. A person who completes a police training course pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1998, c.146 (C.52:17B-69.1) shall only be eligible for appointment as a permanent full-time member of a police department or force, a parole officer of the State Parole Board, or a sheriff's officer.
(cf: P.L.1998, c.146, s.3)
2. (New section) a. The provisions of any other law to the contrary notwithstanding, the appointing authority of a county or municipality which, pursuant to N.J.S.40A:14-106, in the case of a county, or N.J.S.40A:14-118, in the case of a municipality, has established and maintains a police force, or the sheriff of any county, may appoint as a member or officer of the county or municipal police department, or as a member or officer of the county sheriff's office, any person who has satisfactorily completed a police training course pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1998, c.146 (C.52:17B-69.1).
b. A county, municipality, or sheriff may employ a person as provided in subsection a. of this section notwithstanding that:
(1) Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes is operative in that county or municipality;
(2) the county, municipality, or sheriff's office has available to it an eligible or regular reemployment list of persons eligible for such appointments; and
(3) the appointed person is not on any eligible list. A county or municipality which has adopted Title 11A, Civil Service, may not employ such a person if a special reemployment list is in existence for the law enforcement title to be filled.
c. If a county or a sheriff determines to appoint a person pursuant to the provisions of this act, first priority in making such appointments shall be given to residents of the county. A municipality making such an appointment shall give first priority to residents of the municipality and second priority to residents of the county not residing in the municipality.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would authorize the State Parole Board and sheriff's officers to hire alternate route trained police officers.
Under current law, a person who does not hold a temporary or probationary appointment as a police officer is permitted to enroll in a police training course. A person who successfully completes the training course is eligible for appointment as a member of a county or municipal police department or force. Under the bill, these trainees also could be hired by the State Parole Board or by a county sheriff.
The bill also exempts alternate route trained police officers from taking the civil service test in counties and municipalities which have adopted civil service laws under Title 11A. Under the bill, a county or municipal police department or a county sheriff's office governed by civil service laws may hire a person who has not taken the civil service test and been placed on an eligible list if the person satisfactorily completed an alternate route police training course.
It is the sponsor's understanding that civil services municipalities often seek to hire alternate route trained police officers as a cost saving measure, but before these officers have completed the lengthy civil service process they are hired by non-civil service municipalities. This bill would address this inequity by exempting alternate route trained police officers from taking the civil service exam.
