SENATE, No. 918

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED MARCH 14, 1996

 

 

By Senator HAINES

 

 

An Act concerning the employment of certain special law enforcement officers by a county or municipality and amending P.L.1991, c.299.

 

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. Section 1 of P.L.1991, c.299 (C.40A:14-180) is amended to read as follows:

    1. a. The provisions of any other law to the contrary notwithstanding, the appointing authority of a county or municipality which, pursuant to N.J.S.40A:14-106, in the case of a county, or N.J.S.40A:14-118, in the case of a municipality, has established and maintains a police force may appoint as a member or officer of the county or municipal police department any person who is certified as a class two special law enforcement officer and whose training as a class two special law enforcement officer qualifies as training required for a permanent appointment as a police officer under section 3 of P.L.1961, c.56 (C.52:17B-68), or who:

    (1) was serving as a law enforcement officer in good standing in any State, county or municipal law enforcement department or agency;

    (2) satisfactorily completed a working test period in a State law enforcement title or in a law enforcement title in a county or municipality which has adopted Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes or satisfactorily completed a comparable, documented probationary period in a law enforcement title in a county or municipality which has not adopted Title 11A, Civil Service; and

    (3) was, for reasons of economy, terminated as a law enforcement officer within 36 months prior to the appointment.

    b. A county or municipality may employ such a person notwithstanding that:

    (1) Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes is operative in that county or municipality;

    (2) the county or municipality has available to it an eligible or regular reemployment list of persons eligible for such appointments; and

    (3) the appointed person is not on any eligible list. A county or municipality which has adopted Title 11A, Civil Service, may not employ such a person if a special reemployment list is in existence for the law enforcement title to be filled.

    c. If a county determines to appoint a person pursuant to the provisions of this act, it shall give first priority in making such appointments to residents of the county. A municipality making such an appointment shall give first priority to residents of the municipality and second priority to residents of the county not residing in the municipality.

    d. The seniority, seniority-related privileges and rank a law enforcement officer possessed with the employer who terminated the officer's employment for reasons of economy shall not be transferable to a new position when the officer is appointed to a law enforcement position pursuant to the provisions of this section.

(cf: P.L.1993, c.187, s.1)

 

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill 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 bill will enable counties and municipalities to hire officers who are fully trained, in order to save them the costs of training.

 

 

 

Permits counties and municipalities to hire certain special police officers.