ASSEMBLY LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
ASSEMBLY, No. 306
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: MARCH 25, 1996
The Assembly Local Government Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 306, with committee amendments.
Assembly Bill No. 306, as amended by the committee, permits a county or municipality that has established and maintains a police force to appoint as a member or officer of that force a person who is a certified class two special police officer whose training as a class two special police officer qualifies as the training required for permanent appointment as a police officer. The bill permits such an appointment notwithstanding that Title 11A, Civil Service, is operative in the county or municipality; the county or municipality has available to it an eligible or regular reemployment list of persons eligible for such appointments; and the appointed person is not on any eligible list.
This amended bill will enable counties and municipalities to hire qualified officers who are fully trained, saving the local taxpayers the costs of training.
The committee amended the bill to add a new section permitting a small municipality to hire or continue the employment of a class two special police officer as a regular police officer, notwithstanding that the municipality has adopted Title 11A, Civil Service, and that the special police officer is not, or was not, on a special reemployment list for the job title. This committee amendment is intended to aid small municipalities, such as Pohatcong Township in Warren County, that do not have the number of qualified candidates for these positions as larger municipalities. A municipality's power to appoint pursuant to the new section would expire in about six months from the date of enactment.
Assembly Bill No. 306 was pre-filed for introduction in the 1996-1997 legislative session pending technical review. As reported by the committee, the bill contains the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.