ASSEMBLY LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

 

STATEMENT TO

 

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 1322

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED:  JUNE 2, 2021

 

      The Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 1322 (1R).

      As reported by the committee, Senate Bill No. 1322 (1R) prohibits law enforcement agencies from considering how many arrests an officer makes or how many citations an officer issues as a factor when evaluating that officer’s overall performance or when making personnel determinations, including promotions, demotions, and other benefits of employment.  The bill provides that a law enforcement agency may collect, analyze, and apply information concerning the number of arrests and citations for the purpose of forwarding that information to the Superintendent of State Police to be included in the Uniform Crime Report. 

      As amended by the committee, law enforcement agencies are prohibited from posting arrest and citation data in common areas accessible to all law enforcement officers, such as a police station or barracks, to create competition between officers concerning arrests and citations. 

     Under current law, State and local law enforcement agencies are prohibited from establishing policies requiring officers to meet quotas for arrests and citations in enforcing the State’s motor vehicle code.  However, these agencies may consider arrest and citation data as part of the officer's overall performance evaluation.  This bill prohibits this practice. 

      As reported by the committee, this bill is identical to Assembly Bill No. 4058, which was amended and reported on this same date.