New NJ Police Training Law Will Root Out 'Bad Actors,' Supporters Say

NEW JERSEY — Although New Jersey has made several police reforms in the past few years, it lagged behind almost every state in one factor: there was no statewide police-licensing program. That will change, with a state law passed Thursday that will require all officers to hold a valid, active license from the Police Training Commission.

Police throughout New Jersey already undergo training, but it comes from their own departments or outside agencies. The new law establishes a uniform, statewide system for licensing officers, joining 46 states that have the same. The bill unanimously passed in the State Senate before receiving a 70-8 Assembly vote and ultimately Gov. Phil Murphy's signature.

• See how your state representatives voted by clicking "Roll Call" on the bill page.

Murphy's administration first proposed the legislation in May, but activists had longtime concerns about New Jersey's lack of universal police licensing. In other states, a problem officer may face a review for decertification — a process in which an officer's professional license can get revoked. But New Jersey had no such process, and an Asbury Park Press report in 2018 highlighted a system that allowed such officers to easily change departments.

The new law outlines several reasons the commission can decertify cops, including conviction of any crime, a domestic-violence restraining order, two or more DUI offenses and other infractions.

Officials can also pull licenses from any officer in the state who becomes "an active member of a group or organization that advocates for, espouses, or promotes the overthrow of a local, state, or federal government or discrimination or violence against or hatred" against protected classes under New Jersey's anti-discrimination laws. An officer can also lose their credentials for statements or social-media posts that demonstrate support for discrimination or violence against protected classes.

The law will take effect in 18 months and will apply to both active and newly hired officers. Police will need to undergo a psychological examination and continue to take training courses throughout their careers to stay licensed. Officers will need to renew their licenses every three years after issuance.

The state appropriated $6 million for the endeavor. The money will come from the General Fund to the Department of Law and Public Safety for the final quarter of this fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2023.

Law-enforcement leaders around the state approved of the new bill.

"This is yet another piece of legislation that we have all worked on together to enhance transparency and promote public trust and confidence in our troopers and all law-enforcement," said Wayne Blanchard, president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association. "This bill enhances the concepts of producing a more professional and better-trained police officer while incapacitating bad actors for which we have no tolerance."

The Murphy administration has pushed for several police reforms since then-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd in 2020. And a few policies have gone into effect, including the following:

• In November 2020, New Jersey passed a law requiring every uniformed officer to wear a body camera.
• The state established a crime for making false 911 calls with the purpose of intimidating or harassing based on race or other protected classes.
• A 2020 state law requires and establishes a framework for each law-enforcement agency to establish minority-recruitment programs. The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General monitors each agency's progress in minority recruitment and will release data annually.
• New Jersey updated its use-of-force policy for the first time in two decades. The new policy emphasized de-escalation techniques and prohibited officers from using force except as a last resort. The guidance also established a "duty to intervene," requiring officers to intercede if they see another cop engage in illegal or excessive force against a civilian.
• The Office of the Attorney General now releases an annual report on officers who faced "major discipline" — information previously protected under New Jersey law. Major discipline constitutes officers fired, demoted in rank or suspended for more than five days, according to state policy.
• The AG's office released a use-of-force database, which documents the use of force from officers around the state. Agencies must report each time they use force against a civilian to the portal within 24 hours of each incident.

Several activists and community leaders around New Jersey say the state's reforms have failed in the root issues of police brutality and racial inequality. When the two-year anniversary of Floyd's death approached last May, Dr. Charles Boyer — founder of the grassroots Salvation for Social Justice — was among the state's critics.

"The current system used to report force (in New Jersey) is seriously flawed," Boyer said. "At least 62 times, the forms were so sloppy officers accidentally marked themselves as dead which indicates an absence of care or attention to the process."

In May, Boyer also pointed to a recent $10 million settlement for a Camden City man paralyzed from the neck down after an encounter with police. Excessive-force claims cost New Jersey taxpayers millions each year, he says.

But Boyer said the new law marked an important step.

"This bill is both critical and long overdue, yet we acknowledge that this legislation is not a panacea," Boyer said Thursday. "We still have much work to do to ensure that this bill lives up to the state’s promise to heighten the standard of police conduct in the state and effectively holding officers who fail to meet that standard accountable."

The president of the American Civil Liberties Union's New Jersey chapter called the new law "strong." But ACLU-NJ President Amol Sinha called on New Jersey to deliver several other measures that he says will increase police accountability: greater transparency on police discipline, granting subpoena power to civilian review boards and ending qualified immunity.

"We cannot — and should not — aspire to merely catch up with states like Alabama and Florida," Sinha said. "Instead we must lead on issues of police accountability to create a fairer and more just New Jersey for all."