A5353

An Act concerning law enforcement practices 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. As used in this act, “law enforcement agency” means every State, county, and municipal law enforcement department in the State and each campus police department at an institution of higher education that appoints police officers pursuant to P.L.1970, c.211 (C.18A:6-4.2 et seq.).

b. The Department of Law and Public Safety shall acquire or identify tactical communication skills training course materials and an online tutorial that shall be designed to instruct law enforcement officers in conflict management techniques that involve using posture and body language, tone of voice, and choice of words as a means to avoid a potentially volatile situation before it can escalate into physical violence.

Components of the training course materials and online tutorial shall include, but not be limited to, instruction on:

(1) language and communication skills to redirect the behavior of persons who may be under severe emotional distress or other influences in order to diffuse potentially dangerous situations;

(2) remaining calm and professional in situations during which the law enforcement officer is subject to verbal assault;

(3) identifying types of verbal and non-verbal communications;

(4) communication methods that give law enforcement officers a tactical advantage toward successfully fulfilling safe and peaceful law enforcement objectives;

(5) recognizing evasive verbal responses when interacting with members of the public that serve as valuable indicators of possible danger to the officer involved; and

(6) developing and understanding the concepts and importance of active listening skills.

c. The department shall make available to each law enforcement agency the training course materials and online tutorial developed pursuant to subsection b. of this section. The department also shall periodically assess the training course materials and online tutorial and update them when the department deems it appropriate.

d. Every law enforcement agency shall biennially provide in-service training of its law enforcement officers utilizing the training course materials and online tutorial acquired or identified pursuant to subsection b. of this section.

2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month following enactment, except the Department of Law and Public Safety may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as necessary for the implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

This bill requires law enforcement officers to receive every two years training in tactical communication skills, which are also known as verbal judo. Verbal judo is a form of conflict management that involves using posture and body language, tone of voice, and choice of words as a means to avoid a potentially volatile situation before it can escalate into physical violence.

Under the bill, the Department of Law and Public Safety is required to identify or acquire tactical communication skills training course materials and an online tutorial that is to be designed to instruct law enforcement officers in verbal judo methods. The components of the training course materials and online tutorial are to include, but not be limited to, instruction on:

(1) language and communication skills to redirect the behavior of people who may be under severe emotional distress or other influences in order to diffuse potentially dangerous situations;

(2) remaining calm and professional in situations during which the law enforcement officer is subject to verbal assault;

(3) identifying types of verbal and non-verbal communications;

(4) communication methods that give law enforcement officers a tactical advantage toward successfully fulfilling safe and peaceful law enforcement objectives;

(5) recognizing evasive verbal responses when interacting with members of the public that serve as indicators of possible danger to the officer involved; and

(6) developing and understanding the concepts and importance of active listening skills.

The training course materials and online tutorial are to be made available to all law enforcement agencies and assessed and updated as the department deems necessary. The bill requires each law enforcement agency to biennially provide the training course to its officers.

The ability to effectively communicate is a law enforcement officer’s greatest asset. It is the sponsor’s intent to provide law enforcement officers with training that will enhance officer safety and promote public confidence in law enforcement.