Sponsored by:
Assemblyman GORDON M. JOHNSON
District 37 (Bergen)
Assemblyman BRIAN BERGEN
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman B.DeCroce, Assemblyman Peters and Assemblywoman Stanfield
SYNOPSIS
Requires law enforcement officers and recruits to undergo self-defense training; appropriates $250,000 to Police Training Commission.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning law enforcement 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. As used in this act:
"Approved school" means a school approved and authorized by the Police Training Commission to give police training courses.
"Basic course" means an entry-level police training course designed for law enforcement officer recruits at an approved school.
“Basic training” means a full schedule of law enforcement courses administered at an approved school.
b. Every law enforcement officer recruit for a State, county, and municipal law enforcement agency shall undergo a basic course of self-defense training established by the Police Training Commission at an approved school. The basic course shall include one and one-half hours of instruction conducted three times per week while the law enforcement officer recruit is enrolled in basic training and a final, 40 hour self-defense course administered at the end of basic training.
c. Every law enforcement officer for a State, county, and municipal law enforcement agency shall annually undergo 48 hours of in-service self-defense training established by the Police Training Commission. The time expended on in-service training established pursuant to this section shall not be included in a law enforcement officer’s overtime compensation. The instructor providing in-service training shall meet the same training requirements established for recruits pursuant to subsection b. of this section.
d. 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 act.
e. There shall be appropriated $250,000 to the Police Training Commission for the purpose of establishing the basic course and in-service training course pursuant to this section.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Police Training Commission in the Department of Law and Public Safety to establish a self-defense training course for law enforcement officer recruits and an in-service self-defense course for law enforcement officers.
Under the bill, the basic course for law enforcement officer recruits would include one and one-half hours of instruction conducted three times per week while the law enforcement officer recruit is enrolled in basic training and a final, 40 hour self-defense course at the end of basic training. In addition, a law enforcement officer for a State, county, or municipal law enforcement department is required to annually undergo 48 hours of in-service self-defense training. The instructor providing in-service training are required to meet the same training requirements established for law enforcement officer recruits under the bill. The time expended on in-service training would not be included in a law enforcement officer’s overtime compensation.
The bill appropriates $250,000 to the Police Training Commission for the purpose of establishing the self-defense basic course and in-service training course.