Bill Text: NJ S2620 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes comprehensive core competency police training program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-06-25 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S2620 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-S2620-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JOSEPH P. CRYAN
District 20 (Union)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes comprehensive core competency police training program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning comprehensive core competency police training and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the Police Training Commission shall include in the basic training course required to be completed by every State, county, and municipal law enforcement officer comprehensive training on the following core competencies:
(1) relationship-based policing and community interaction;
(2) conflict resolution; crisis intervention, mediation, and rumor control;
(3) de-escalation, including training in nonlethal methods of interacting with combative or threatening persons and persons experiencing a mental health crisis;
(4) minimization of use of force;
(5) leadership;
(6) problem-solving skills;
(7) community specific problems;
(8) cultural diversity and implicit bias;
(9) appropriate methods of engagement with members of diverse cultures and religions, including members of the lesbian, gay, biracial, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community and gender nonconforming persons, English language learners, and differently abled persons;
(10) juvenile justice and engagement;
(11) legal authority and procedural justice;
(12) individual rights;
(13) officer and civilian safety;
(14) communication skills; and
(15) lifestyle stressors, self-awareness, and self-regulation.
b. The Police Training Commission shall develop a four hour in-service training course encompassing the core competencies enumerated in subsection a. of this section. The training course shall be administered by every State, county, and municipal law enforcement agency and shall be in addition to any other required in-service training. The law enforcement agency shall ensure every law enforcement officer completes this training on a quarterly basis.
c. In developing the curriculum for the core competency training required in subsections a. and b. of this section, the Police Training Commission shall consult with adult and juvenile community members of all racial, social, and economic backgrounds.
d. Scenario-based training on core competencies shall be included as a component of the curriculum of the basic training course and in-service training required by this section.
e. The Police Training Commission periodically shall update and revise the curriculum of the core competencies components of the basic training course and in-service training course required by this section.
f. For the purposes of this section:
"Core competencies" means common activities in which law enforcement officers engage and the skills used during the daily performance of their law enforcement duties.
"Law enforcement agency" means a department, division, bureau, commission, board, or other authority of the State or of any political subdivision thereof which employs law enforcement officers.
"Law enforcement officer" means any person who is employed as a permanent full-time member of a law enforcement agency and is statutorily empowered to act as an officer for the detection, apprehension, arrest, and conviction of offenders against the laws of this State.
"Scenario-based training" means the use of technology to put law enforcement officers in life-like scenarios to practice decision-making skills and tactical response time.
g. The Police Training Commission shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to effectuate the purposes of this section.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month next following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires comprehensive police training on core competencies in both the basic training course and in-service training.
The bill specifically requires the Police Training Commission to include certain core competencies in the curriculum of the basic training course which every State, county, and municipal law enforcement officer is required to pass prior to appointment to a full-time police officer position. Core competencies are defined in the bill as "common activities in which law enforcement officers engage and the skills used during the daily performance of their law enforcement duties." The bill also requires four hours of in-service training each quarter on the core competencies.
The core competencies to be covered in the basic training course and in-service training include: relationship-based policing and community interaction; conflict resolution; crisis intervention, mediation, and rumor control; de-escalation, including training in nonlethal methods of interacting with combative or threatening persons and persons experiencing a mental health crisis; minimization of use of force; leadership; problem-solving skills; community specific problems; cultural diversity and implicit bias; appropriate methods of engagement with members of diverse cultures and religions, including members of the lesbian, gay, biracial, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community and gender nonconforming persons, English language learners, and differently abled persons; juvenile justice and engagement; legal authority and procedural justice; individual rights; officer and civilian safety; communication skills; and lifestyle stressors, self-awareness, and self-regulation.
The bill requires the Police Training Commission to consult with adult and juvenile community members of all racial, social, and economic backgrounds in developing the core competencies curriculum for the basic and in-service training. In addition, the curriculum is to include scenario-based training on core competencies. The core competency curriculum is to be periodically update and revised.
According to the sponsor, societal changes and increased scrutiny of police interactions with persons of diverse backgrounds necessitate up-to-date, comprehensive police training to ensure the safety of both the officers and the citizens they serve.
