Bill Text: NJ A5682 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires AG to establish uniform police training curriculum.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-05-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee [A5682 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A5682-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Requires AG to establish uniform police training curriculum.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning a uniform police training curriculum, supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes and amending P.L.1961, c.56.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) a. In consultation with the Police Training Commission established pursuant to section 5 of P.L.1961, c.56 (C.52:17B-70), the Attorney General shall develop a uniform basic course curriculum, which the commission shall implement at each approved school in the State. The Attorney General shall review the curriculum annually and make updates as appropriate or required, in the Attorney General's discretion.
b. For the purposes of this section, "basic course" and "approved school" shall have the same meaning as set forth in section 1 of P.L.2009, c.222 (C.52:17B-71.10).
2. Section 6 of P.L.1961, c.56 (C.52:17B-71) is amended to read as follows:
6. The commission is vested with the power, responsibility and duty:
a. To prescribe standards for the approval and continuation of approval of schools at which police training courses authorized by this act and in-service police training courses shall be conducted, including but not limited to currently existing regional, county, municipal, and police chief association police training schools or at which basic training courses and in-service training courses shall be conducted for State and county juvenile and adult correctional police officers and juvenile detention officers;
b. To approve and issue certificates of approval to these schools, to inspect the schools from time to time, and to revoke any approval or certificate issued to the schools;
c. To [prescribe] implement the curriculum developed and prescribed by the Attorney general pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) , and prescribe the minimum courses of study, attendance requirements, equipment and facilities, and standards of operation for these schools. Courses of study in crime prevention may be recommended to the Police Training Commission by the Crime Prevention Advisory Committee, established by section 2 of P.L.1985, c.1 (C.52:17B-77.1). The Police Training Commission may prescribe psychological and psychiatric examinations for police recruits while in the schools;
d. To prescribe minimum qualifications
for instructors at these
schools and to certify, as qualified, instructors for approved police training schools and to issue appropriate certificates to the instructors;
e. To certify police officers, correctional police officers, juvenile correctional police officers, and juvenile detention officers who have satisfactorily completed training programs and to issue appropriate certificates to the police officers, correctional police officers, juvenile correctional police officers, and juvenile detention officers;
f. To advise and consent in the appointment of an administrator of police services by the Attorney General pursuant to section 8 of P.L.1961, c.56 (C.52:17B-73);
g. (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1985, c.491)
h. To make rules and regulations as may be reasonably necessary or appropriate to accomplish the purposes and objectives of this act;
i. To make a continuous study of police training methods and training methods for correctional police officers, juvenile correctional police officers, and juvenile detention officers and to consult and accept the cooperation of any recognized federal or State law enforcement agency or educational institution;
j. To consult and cooperate with universities, colleges, and institutes in the State for the development of specialized courses of study for police officers in police science and police administration;
k. To consult and cooperate with other departments and agencies of the State concerned with police training or the training of correctional police officers, juvenile correctional police officers, and juvenile detention officers;
l. To participate in unified programs and projects relating to police training and the training of correctional police officers, juvenile correctional police officers, and juvenile detention officers sponsored by any federal, State, or other public or private agency;
m. To perform other acts as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out its functions and duties as set forth in this act;
n. To extend the time limit for satisfactory completion of police training programs or programs for the training of correctional police officers, juvenile correctional police officers, and juvenile detention officers upon a finding that health, extraordinary workload, or other factors have, singly or in combination, effected a delay in the satisfactory completion of the training program;
o. (1) To furnish approved schools, for inclusion in their regular police training courses and curriculum, with information concerning the advisability of high speed chases, the risk caused by them, and the benefits resulting from them;
(2) To review and approve new standards and course curricula for police training courses or programs to be offered by approved schools for the training of police officers to be certified as a Drug Recognition Expert for detecting, identifying, and apprehending drug-impaired motor vehicle operators. The commission shall consult with the Cannabis Regulatory Commission established by 31 of P.L.2019, c.153 (C.24:6I-24) with respect to any aspects of the course curricula that focus on impairment from the use of cannabis items as defined by section 3 of P.L.2021, c.16 (C.24:6I-33)or marijuana. Any police officer certified and recognized by the commission as a Drug Recognition Expert prior to the effective date of this section, as amended by the "New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act," P.L.2021, c.16 (C.24:6I-31 et al.), shall continue to be recognized as certified until that certification has expired or is no longer considered valid as determined by the commission, or the certification is replaced by the police officer with a new certification in accordance with the new standards and course curricula for certification described in this paragraph.
p. To review and approve new standards and course curricula developed by the Department of Corrections for both basic and in-service training of State and county correctional police officers and juvenile detention officers. These courses for the State correctional police officers and juvenile detention officers shall be centrally provided at the Corrections Officers' Training Academy of the Department of Corrections. Courses for the county correctional police officers and juvenile detention officers shall also be centrally provided at the Corrections Officers' Training Academy unless an off-grounds training program is established by the county. A county may elect to establish and conduct a basic training program for correctional police officers and juvenile detention officers seeking permanent appointment in that county. The Corrections Officers' Training Academy shall develop the curriculum of the basic training program to be conducted by a county;
q. To administer and distribute the monies in the Law Enforcement Officers Training and Equipment Fund established by section 9 of P.L.1996, c.115 (C.2C:43-3.3) and make rules and regulations for the administration and distribution of the monies as may be necessary or appropriate to accomplish the purpose for which the fund was established.
(cf: P.L.2021, c.216, s.85)
3. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month next following the date of enactment, except that the Attorney General may take any anticipatory action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Attorney General to develop a uniform basic course curriculum to be implemented at each police training school in the State.
The bill provides that in consultation with the Police Training Commission, the Attorney General would be required to develop a uniform basic course curriculum, which the commission would implement at each approved school in the State. The bill requires the Attorney General to review the curriculum annually and make updates as appropriate or required, in the Attorney General's discretion.
For the purposes of the bill, a "basic course" is defined as an entry-level police training course designed for trainees, and an "approved school" is defined as a school approved and authorized by the commission to give police training courses.
