Bill Text: NJ S2046 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Permits rehiring of certain law enforcement officers who were terminated for reasons of the economy.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-05-05 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S2046 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-S2046-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator RONALD L. RICE
District 28 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Permits rehiring of certain law enforcement officers who were terminated for reasons of the economy.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning law enforcement officers and amending P.L.2010, c.103.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 4 of P.L.2010, c.103 (C.40A:14-180.1) is amended to read as follows:
4. a. The provisions of any other law to the contrary notwithstanding, the appointing authority of a municipality which, pursuant to N.J.S.40A:14-118, has established and maintains a police force may reappoint as a member or officer of its municipal police department or force any person who:
(1) did not hold a permanent appointment, but was serving as a probationary officer or as an officer in a field working test period, as prescribed by the Police Training Commission, in the police department or force of that municipality;
(2) was, for reasons of economy, terminated as a law enforcement officer within 60 months prior to the reappointment; and
(3) was, at the time of termination, in good standing.
b. A municipality may reemploy such a person notwithstanding that:
(1) Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes is operative in the municipality;
(2) the municipality 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 municipality which has adopted Title 11A, Civil Service, may not reemploy such a person if a special reemployment list is in existence for the law enforcement title to be filled; and
(4) the person was, following the termination from the police department or force of the municipality for reasons of the economy, subsequently appointed as a sheriff's officer or police officer by the sheriff of any county, or by 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. The reemployment of an officer pursuant to this paragraph shall not affect the officer's civil service status, accrued pension rights, or any other benefits that were accrued by the reappointed officer while employed by a sheriff's office or police force.
c. A law enforcement officer reemployed pursuant to this section shall complete the remainder of any probationary or working test period not completed at the time of his termination for reasons of economy.
(cf: P.L.2010, c.103, s.4)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
Current law authorizes law enforcement agencies to hire police officers that have been laid off by other law enforcement agencies for reasons of the economy, without having to go through any Civil Service list of eligible employees.
This bill permits a law enforcement agency that terminated law enforcement officers for reasons of the economy to rehire those officers even though the officers were subsequently hired by another police department or sheriff's office. The bill provides that the reemployment of an officer by a police department would not affect the officer's civil service status or pension rights that were accrued while employed by another sheriff's office or police force.
