SENATE, No. 382
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2020 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator LORETTA WEINBERG
District 37 (Bergen)
Senator TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Brown, Corrado, Ruiz and Pou
SYNOPSIS
Requires uniform response procedures for all domestic crisis teams established or participated in by law enforcement agencies, and strengthens Statewide supervision over teams; expands topics required in training courses.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 21, 2021, with amendments.
An Act concerning 1[the]1 training 1requirements1 and oversight of domestic crisis teams established or participated in by law enforcement agencies, and amending P.L.1991, c.261.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 4 of P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-20) is amended to read as follows:
4. a. (1) The Division of Criminal Justice shall develop and approve a training course and curriculum on the handling, investigation and response procedures concerning reports of domestic violence and abuse and neglect of the elderly and disabled. This training course and curriculum shall include 1[response]1 procedures to be followed by all 1[domestic crisis teams established or participated in by]1 law enforcement agencies pursuant to paragraph (3) of subsection b. of this section. The training course and curriculum shall be reviewed at least every two years and modified by the Division of Criminal Justice from time to time as need may require. The Division of Criminal Justice shall distribute the curriculum to all local police agencies.
(2) The Attorney General shall be responsible for ensuring that all law enforcement officers attend initial training within 90 days of appointment or transfer and annual 1[inservice] in-service1 training of at least four hours as described in this section.
b. (1) The Administrative 1[Office] Director1 of the Courts shall develop and approve a training course and a curriculum on the handling, investigation and response procedures concerning allegations of domestic violence. This training course shall be reviewed at least every two years and modified by the Administrative 1[Office] Director1 of the Courts from time to time as need may require.
(2) The Administrative Director of the Courts shall be responsible for ensuring that all judges and judicial personnel attend initial training within 90 days of appointment or transfer and annual 1[inservice] in-service1 training as described in this section.
(3) The 1[Division of Criminal Justice] Attorney General1 and the Administrative 1[Office] Director1 of the Courts shall provide that all training on the handling of domestic violence matters shall include information concerning the impact of domestic violence on society, the dynamics of domestic violence, 1the impact of trauma on survivors, techniques when interviewing a survivor of trauma, the impact of racial bias and discrimination on survivors and marginalized communities,1 the statutory and case law concerning domestic violence, the necessary elements of a protection order, policies and procedures as promulgated or ordered by the Attorney General or the Supreme Court, and the use of available community resources, support services, available sanctions and treatment options. Law enforcement agencies, under the supervision of the Division of Criminal Justice, shall: [(1)] (a) establish domestic crisis teams or participate in established domestic crisis teams, which shall be made available to victims whenever law enforcement responds to reports of domestic violence and abuse and neglect of the elderly and disabled; and [(2) shall] (b) train, in accordance with the training course and curriculum developed pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection a. of this section, all individual officers participating in domestic crisis teams in methods of dealing with domestic violence and neglect and abuse of the elderly and disabled. The teams may include social workers, clergy or other persons trained in counseling, crisis intervention or in the treatment of domestic violence and neglect and abuse of the elderly and disabled victims.
(cf: P.L.1999, c.433, s.1)
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month next following enactment.