SENATE, No. 1598

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED OCTOBER 7, 1996

By Senator KENNY

An Act concerning the appointment of certain law enforcement officers 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 probationary member or officer of the county or municipal police department any person who was serving a probationary period as a law enforcement officer on a county police force at the time that the county abolished the police force; or may appoint as a member or officer of the county or municipal police department any person who:

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

    (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 60 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.1996, c.13, s.1) 

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill would permit counties and municipalities in which Title 11A (Civil Service) of the New Jersey Statutes is operative to hire as a law enforcement officer for a probationary period any person who was serving a probationary period as a law enforcement officer on a county police force that has been abolished. This bill would allow counties and municipalities to hire such a person irrespective of local employment or reemployment lists.

Allows counties and municipalities to hire probationary members of abolished police force.