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LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 3075

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

 

DATED: DECEMBER 21, 2020

 

 

SUMMARY

Synopsis:

Establishes sexual violence liaison officer in Division of State Police and local police departments.

Type of Impact:

Annual State and local expenditure increase

Agencies Affected:

Department of Law and Public Safety; County and Municipal Law Enforcement Departments.

 

 

Office of Legislative Services Estimate

Fiscal Impact

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

 

State Cost Increase

Indeterminate

 

Local Cost increase

Indeterminate

 

 

 

 

·         The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) estimates that the bill may result in indeterminate annual cost increases for State, county, and municipal law enforcement departments to designate and train Sexual Violence Liaison Officers (SVLOs).  The bill may not be overly labor-intensive and law enforcement agencies may be able to absorb the additional workload within their existing operating budgets. 

 

BILL DESCRIPTION

 

      This bill requires an SVLO to be appointed to each State Police station, county police department, and municipal police department.  

      The bill requires the Superintendent of State Police to designate the Station Intervention Officer as the SVLO for each State Police station.  The chief of police of a municipal or county police department is to appoint at least one full-time sworn member to serve as the sexual violence liaison.  The liaison for the State Police and for municipal and county police departments is responsible for serving as the in-house expert on how to conduct sexual violence cases; acting as the primary point-of-contact for each local sexual violence program and county Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) to coordinate an effective community response; when appropriately trained, providing in-house training on sexual violence; monitoring the compliance with sexual violence best practices set forth in statutory law and Attorney General policies; and serving in any other capacity deemed appropriate by the superintendent or chief of police.

      The bill authorizes local police departments to appoint more than one sexual violence liaison officer and to share a sexual violence liaison officer if that officer can adequately perform the duties for both departments.

      The liaison for municipal and county police departments also is to represent the department at county meetings of the SART.  The bill provides for a regional investigator of the Victims Services Unit in the Division of State Police to represent the State Police at these meetings.

      The State Police sexual violence liaison officer is required to be a member of the Victim Services Unit of the division; a county or municipal police officer liaison is required to be a full-time sworn member of the department.  The State Police member or department police officer also is required to complete specialized sexual violence training as specified by the superintendent or chief of police, as applicable.

      The bill authorizes a sexual assault liaison officer to simultaneously serve as a domestic violence liaison officer and Megan’s Law resource officer.  

 

FISCAL ANALYSIS

 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

 

      None received.

 

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES

 

      The OLS estimates that the bill may result in indeterminate annual cost increases for State, county, and municipal law enforcement departments to designate and train SVLOs.  The bill may not be overly labor-intensive and law enforcement agencies may be able to absorb the additional workload within their existing operating budgets.

      Under the bill, once the SVLO designation has been made by the respective departments, the State Police, county, and municipal SVLO is required to: 1) complete specialized sexual violence training as specified by their superior; 2) serve as their department’s in-house sexual violence expert; 3) be familiar with and monitor the department’s compliance with sexual violence best practices as set forth in statutory law and Attorney General policies; 4) attend county SART meetings and be the point of contact as needed; and 5) provide in-house training on sexual violence.  The OLS estimates the initial training of the SVLO and the attendance of the SART meetings may take the officer from regular duties, especially if the duties are split between two officers.

      The Police Training Commission (PTC) supervises the administration of basic police training programs in New Jersey, including sexual assault course instruction.  As part of that task, the PTC 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.  The PTC training courses are revised and updated on an ongoing basis as necessitated by legislation, court decisions, and advances in technology and the state of knowledge regarding law enforcement practices. The OLS estimates that the PTC may be of assistance to any law enforcement departments requiring training or education assistance.

      For context, the Uniform Crime Report indicates that during 2016, there were 468 municipal police departments in the State and that the New Jersey State Police acted as the agent for the 77 municipalities without local police services.  In addition to the 468 municipal police departments, there were 20 municipalities which contracted with other police departments for local law enforcement services.  In addition to these agencies, there are 21 sheriffs’ departments, one county park police department, and an estimated two to three county police departments.

 

 

Section:

Law and Public Safety

Analyst:

Kristin Brunner Santos

Senior Fiscal Analyst

Approved:

Thomas Koenig

Assistant 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.).