STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator JON M. BRAMNICK
District 21 (Middlesex, Morris, Somerset and Union)
SYNOPSIS
Allows law enforcement officers to receive one-time emergency alerts on personal wireless communication devices.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning law enforcement and supplementing Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this act,
“One-time emergency alert” means an electronic message sent directly to a personal communication device that alerts law enforcement officers of an emergency event that threatens the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
“Personal communication device” means a commercial wireless device including, but not limited to, a cell phone or laptop that was purchased by a law enforcement officer for personal use and was not issued by the officer’s employer.
b. A State, county, or municipal law enforcement officer may voluntarily agree to receive one-time emergency alerts on the officer’s personal communication device. The information contained in the one-time emergency alert shall be stored on an external computer server and the law enforcement officer shall not have access to the alert information on the officer’s personal communication device after the one-time emergency alert has expired.
c. The information contained in the one-time emergency alerts pursuant to this section shall not be considered a government record pursuant to P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), P.L.2001, c.404 (C.47:1A-5 et al.), or the common law concerning access to public records and shall not be discoverable or admissible as evidence in any legal action or administrative proceeding.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill allows law enforcement officers to receive one-time emergency alerts on their personal wireless devices, which includes personal cell phones and laptops. The bill defines “one-time emergency alert” as an electronic message sent directly to a personal communication device that alerts law enforcement officers of an emergency event that threatens the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
The information contained in the one-time emergency alert is required to be stored on an external computer server. The bill prohibits law enforcement officers from accessing the alert information on their personal communication devices after the alert has expired.
In the interest of public safety, the information contained in the one-time emergency alerts would not be discoverable or admissible as evidence in any legal action or administrative proceeding. The alerts also would not be deemed a public record under the “Open Public Records Act,” or the common law concerning access to public records.