LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
ASSEMBLY, No. 4532
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
DATED: DECEMBER 15, 2021
SUMMARY
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Synopsis: |
Requires cultural diversity and implicit bias training be included in police basic training curriculum. |
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Type of Impact: |
One-time and periodic State and local cost increases. |
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Agencies Affected: |
Department of Law and Public Safety. |
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Office of Legislative Services Estimate |
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Fiscal Impact |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
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State Cost Increase |
Indeterminate |
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Local Cost Increase |
Indeterminate |
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· The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) projects that the bill may result in a one-time marginal State expenditure increase by the Department of Law and Public Safety (DLPS) and the Police Training Commission (PTC) to develop, or update, the basic training course curriculum and any materials to provide both cultural diversity and implicit bias training to police officers and instructors. Any further periodic cost increases would result from the intermittent updating of the course curriculum, instruction, and examination.
· The OLS estimates that the State’s expenditure increase may be marginal as the present PTC training curriculum provides cultural diversity and implicit bias training. Also, the implementation of P.L.2016, c.23 and P.L.2020, c.68, required the incorporation of implicit bias and cultural diversity training materials for law enforcement officers and made cultural diversity and implicit bias training mandatory for law enforcement officers. The OLS estimates that meeting the additional requirements of this bill may not be overly labor-intensive and the concerned departments may be able to absorb the additional workload within their existing operating budgets.
BILL DESCRIPTION
This bill requires the Police Training Commission in the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety to include cultural diversity and implicit bias training in the basic training course for police officers appointed to a police department or force.
Current law requires the Department of Law and Public Safety to develop or identify a uniform cultural diversity training course, including an on-line tutorial, which includes instruction promoting positive interaction with all members residing in the community, regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. The training course is available to every State, county, municipal, and campus police department or force for in-service training of its officers. This bill would require this cultural diversity training to be administered to police officers during their mandated basic training.
The bill further requires the Department of Law and Public Safety to develop or identify training course materials concerning implicit bias in policing. The Police Training Commission also is required by the bill to include the implicit bias training course materials in the basic training for police officers. Finally, the bill requires instructors at basic training academies for police officers to receive specialized training in cultural diversity and implicit bias in policing.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
The OLS projects that the bill may result in a one-time marginal State expenditure increase by the DLPS and the PTC to develop, or update, the basic training course curriculum and any materials to provide both cultural diversity and implicit bias training to police officers and instructors. Any further periodic cost increases would result from the intermittent updating of the course curriculum, instruction, and examination.
Expenditure: Under the bill, the DLPS is required to develop and make the curriculum and training course materials concerning implicit bias. The PTC is required to include in the basic training course curriculum for the police officers and instructors cultural diversity and implicit bias. The OLS estimates the State’s expenditure increase to be marginal as the PTC’s present training curriculum provides cultural diversity and implicit bias training.
In 2016, the State required county, municipal, and campus police departments to establish and incorporate cultural diversity and implicit bias training courses and plans. In 2020, the DLPS was required to develop similar training, including an on-line tutorial. Based on the existence of relevant training, the OLS estimates that meeting the requirements of this bill may not be overly labor-intensive and the DLPS and PTC may be able to absorb the additional workload within their existing operating budgets.
Background on PTC: The PTC supervises the administration of basic police training programs. As part of that task the commission is responsible for the development, periodic review and revision, and certification of basic training courses for county and local police, sheriffs' officers, state and county investigators, state and county corrections officers, juvenile detention officers, and a number of other law enforcement positions, as well as several instructor development courses. According to evaluation data in the FY 2022 Governor’s Budget, in FY 2019, the PTC supervised 175 training programs and certified 5,991 trainees. The length of basic training varies.
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Section: |
Law and Public Safety |
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Analyst: |
Lead Fiscal Analyst |
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Approved: |
Thomas Koenig Legislative Budget and Finance Officer |
This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).