Sponsored by:
Senator GORDON M. JOHNSON
District 37 (Bergen)
Senator LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Steinhardt
SYNOPSIS
Provides police training course credit to prior military law enforcement officer seeking employment as law enforcement officer in NJ.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning police training course credit for prior military law enforcement officers and amending P.L.1961, c.56.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 3 of P.L.1961, c.56 (C.52:17B-68) is amended to read as follows:
3. a. Every State, county, and municipal agency, with the exception of the New Jersey State Police, that employs law enforcement officers as defined in section 2 of P.L.1961, c.56 (C.52:17B-67), as applicable, shall authorize attendance at an approved school by persons holding a probationary appointment as a law enforcement officer, and every agency shall require that no person shall hereafter be given or accept a permanent appointment as a law enforcement officer unless such person has successfully completed a police training course at an approved school; provided, however, that the commission may, in its discretion, except from the requirements of this section any person who demonstrates to the commission's satisfaction that the person has successfully completed a police training course conducted by any Federal, State or other public or private agency, the requirements of which are substantially equivalent to the requirements of this act.
b. A law enforcement officer who is terminated from an agency for reasons of economy or efficiency shall be granted an exemption or waiver from retaking the basic training course if, within three years from the date of termination, the law enforcement officer is appointed to a similar law enforcement position in another agency or is reemployed by the agency from which the officer was terminated.
c. A person who, in the preceding three years, has served as a military law enforcement officer for any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, or a Reserve component thereof, shall be granted credits to exempt such person from taking each part of the basic training course that is substantially similar to a police training course completed by the military law enforcement officer, provided that the officer’s separation from the Armed Forces, or a Reserve component thereof, was under honorable conditions. The commission shall determine the amount of the credits granted pursuant to this subsection. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to permit a person to be exempted from the entirety of the basic training course.
(cf: P.L.2022, c.65, s.3)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires prior military law enforcement officers seeking employment as a law enforcement officer in this State to receive credit for exemption from certain police training course requirements, provided that the officer’s separation from the Armed Forces or a Reserve component thereof was under honorable conditions.
Under current law and practice, the Police Training Commission can exempt from the requirements of a police training course any person who demonstrates to the commission’s satisfaction that the person has successfully completed a police training course conducted by any Federal, State, or other public or private agency, provided that the requirements of the course are substantially equivalent to the requirements of the law and has been completed in the preceding three years. This bill requires applicable exemptions to apply to any person who served as a military law enforcement officer and is seeking employment as a law enforcement officer in this State. These individuals must be granted credits, as determined by the Police Training Commission, for exemption from each part of the basic training course that is substantially similar to a police training course completed by the military law enforcement officer, provided that the officer’s separation from the Armed Forces, or a Reserve component thereof, was under honorable conditions. The bill does not permit an individual to receive an exemption from the entirety of the police training course.