Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblyman BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen McCoy and Hall
SYNOPSIS
Requires Police Training Commission to study gender disparity in police employment and issue recommendations.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning gender disparity in police employment.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares:
a. Gender inequality is a persistent issue in the public safety employment sector and particularly within law enforcement. Despite accounting for roughly half of the United States population, women occupy only 14 percent of law enforcement roles nationwide, according to the brief “Public Safety Workforce Development in the Post COVID-19 Era,” published by the National League of Cities.
b. The under-representation of women in law enforcement undermines public safety. Social science research indicates that women police officers use less force and less excessive force; are named in fewer complaints and lawsuits; are perceived by communities as being more honest and compassionate; see better outcomes for crime victims, especially in sexual assault cases; and make fewer discretionary arrests, especially of non-white persons.
c. The 30x30 Initiative is a coalition of law enforcement leaders, researchers, and professional organizations, including the founding partners Policing Project and NAWLEE (National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives), as well as the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), National Police Foundation, and the International Association of Women Police, who have joined together to advance the representation and experiences of women in law enforcement agencies across the United States. The goal of the 30x30 Initiative is to increase representation of women in police recruit classes to 30 percent by 2030.
d. Gender disparity in law enforcement is a significant concern in New Jersey. In 2022, the New Jersey State Police employed 174 women troopers, which accounts for only 5.6 percent of its 3,117 troopers. According to data from the United States Department of Justice, that is less than the national average for comparable state police departments and less than half the average for all law enforcement agencies across the country.
e. Discriminatory physical fitness training standards that are not job-related or consistent with business necessity are a significant factor in recruitment and retention polices that contribute to the lack of women law enforcement officers. Recruitment and retention of women is at a critical low in this State and nationwide, particularly within correctional police forces.
f. In October 2020, the Legislature passed a law requiring each law enforcement agency in New Jersey to report demographic information about law enforcement officers serving and applying for employment or promotion. Under the law, each law enforcement agency in New Jersey also is required to establish a program designed to ensure every agency is “comprised of law enforcement officers who reflect the diversity of the population of the community the agency is charged with protecting.”
g. While the 2020 enactment represents progress, more needs to be done to address the persistent and urgent problem of gender disparity in policing in this State.
2. a. The Police Training Commission in the Department of Law and Public Safety shall study and evaluate gender disparity in police employment in State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies. The commission shall consider issues including, but not limited to, recruitment, hiring practices, and retention policies related to women applicants and employees.
b. The commission shall issue a report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than six months following enactment of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) that contains the commission’s findings and recommendations concerning methods to improve Statewide gender disparity in police employment.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Police Training Commission in the Department of Law and Public Safety to study and evaluate gender disparity in police employment in State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies. Under the bill, the commission is required to consider issues including, but not limited to, recruitment, hiring practices, and retention policies.
The bill requires the commission to issue a report to the Governor and the Legislature no later than six months following enactment of this bill that contains the commission’s findings and recommendations concerning methods to improve Statewide gender disparity in police employment.