[Third Reprint]

SENATE, No. 3672

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED APRIL 26, 2021

Sponsored by:

Senator  TROY SINGLETON

District 7 (Burlington)

Senator  SHIRLEY K. TURNER

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Senator  ANTHONY M. BUCCO

District 25 (Morris and Somerset)

Assemblyman  WILLIAM F. MOEN, JR.

District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)

Assemblyman  GORDON M. JOHNSON

District 37 (Bergen)

Assemblywoman  ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT

District 31 (Hudson)

Assemblywoman  SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex)

Co-Sponsored by:

Senator Greenstein, Assemblymen Webber and McClellan

SYNOPSIS

     Permits exemption from civil service examination requirement for entry-level law enforcement officers, sheriff’s officers, and State and county correctional police officers; permits hiring or appointment of such officers under certain conditions, and makes appropriation.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on January 6, 2022, with amendments.

An Act concerning civil service ¹[law enforcement]¹ examination requirement for ¹entry-level law enforcement officers, sheriff’s officers, and^{1 3}State or³ county correctional police officers, ³[and] and salaries for State correctional police officers,³ amending P.L.2021, c.7³, and making an appropriation³.

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

     1.  Section 1 of P.L.2021, c.7 (C.11A:4-1.3) is amended to read as follows: 

     1.    a. The Civil Service Commission shall exempt from the requirement to take an examination for an entry-level law enforcement ¹officer¹ position¹, entry-level ²[sherrif’s] sheriff’s² officer position,¹ or entry-level ³State or³ county correctional police officer position a person who ¹[has]¹ successfully ¹[completed] completes¹ a full Basic Course for Police Officers training course ¹or a full Basic Course for Correction Officers training course¹ at a school approved and authorized by the New Jersey Police Training commission ¹within nine months from the date of hire as a ³[provisional] temporary³ entry-level officer under the provisions of this section.

(1)  Any person employed under the provisions of this section shall enroll in a training course approved by the New Jersey Police Training Commission, and such person shall be entitled to a leave of absence with pay during the period of the training course. 

(2)  Upon successful completion of the training course, any person employed under the provisions of this section shall be ³[promoted from a provisional] appointed from a temporary to a permanent³ entry-level law enforcement police officer, ³[provisional entry-level] from a temporary^{3 2}[sherrif’s] sheriff’s² officer, or ³[provisional] temporary³ entry-level ³State or³ county correctional police officer to ³[an] a permanent³ entry-level law enforcement officer, entry-level sheriff’s officer, or ³permanent³ entry-level ³State or³ county correctional police officer, as appropriate¹.

     b.    ¹[The Civil Service Commission shall promulgate, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations and establish administrative processes that are reasonable, necessary, and consistent with the provisions of this act.] (Deleted by amendment, P.L.   , c.   (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill)¹

     c.     ¹(1)¹  A municipal or county police department may hire a person, exempt from the requirement to take an examination for an entry-level law enforcement ¹officer¹ position pursuant to subsection a. of this section, upon adoption of an ordinance or resolution by the governing body authorizing such hiring by the police department and the adoption of a conflict of interest and nepotism policy.

¹(2)  A county ²[sherrif’s] sheriff’s² department may hire a person, exempt from the requirement to take an examination for an entry-level sheriff’s officer position pursuant to subsection a. of this section, upon ²[adoption of an ordinance or resolution by the governing body authorizing such hiring by the sheriff’s department and]² the adoption ²by the county sheriff² of a conflict of interest and nepotism policy.

(3)  A county correctional facility ², except one under the control or supervision of a county sheriff,² may hire a person, exempt from the requirement to take an examination for an entry-level county correctional police officer position pursuant to subsection a. of this section, upon adoption of an ordinance or a resolution by the governing body authorizing such hiring by the county correctional facility and the adoption of a conflict of interest and nepotism policy.^{1 2}A county correctional facility that is under the control or supervision of a county sheriff may hire a person, exempt from the requirement to take an examination for an entry-level county correctional police officer position pursuant to subsection a. of this section, upon the adoption by the county sheriff of a conflict of interest and nepotism policy, without the need for an ordinance or a resolution by the governing body²

³(4)  A State correctional facility or department may hire a person, exempt from the requirement to take an examination for an entry-level State correctional police officer position pursuant to subsection a. of this section, upon authorization of the Commissioner of Corrections.³ 

d. ¹[A county correctional facility may hire a person, exempt from the requirement to take an examination for an entry-level county correctional police officer position pursuant to subsection a. of this section, upon adoption of a resolution by the governing body authorizing such hiring by the correctional facility and the adoption of a conflict of interest and nepotism policy.] ²[A municipal or county police department, county sheriff’s department, or county correctional facility shall not utilize the provisions of this section to circumvent the intergovernmental transfer process regulations established by the Civil Service Commission requiring written authorization from the departing authority] Permanent entry-level officers and entry-level officers serving in a working test period who are employed by a municipal or county police department, county sheriff’s department, or ³State or³ county correctional facility shall not be appointed by a different municipal or county police department, county sheriff’s department, or ³State or³ county correctional facility utilizing the provisions of this section and municipal or county police departments, county sheriff’s departments, or ³State or³ county correctional facilities may not utilize the provisions of this section to circumvent the intergovernmental transfer process regulations established by the Civil Service Commission for officers which requires written authorization from the departing authority^{2 3}, including, but not limited to, the New Jersey Department of Corrections³.

e. ³The starting salary of a State correctional police officer shall be not less than $48,000.  Adjustments shall be made to the remaining steps in the salary scale of a State correctional police officer.

f.³ The Civil Service Commission shall promulgate, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations and establish administrative processes that are reasonable, necessary, and consistent with the provisions of this section.¹

³[²f.  No sheriff’s investigator shall be hired as a sheriff’s officer in accordance with provisions of this section.²] g.  A sheriff’s investigator in a sheriff’s department shall be eligible for appointment in accordance with this section through transfer to a sheriff’s officer position in that same department provided that:

(1)  the investigator has completed at least one year in the position of sheriff’s investigator in that sheriff’s department or has served at least one year as a police officer or sheriff’s officer in a municipal or county police or sheriff’s department in this State; and

(2)  the sheriff’s investigator is not over 35 years of age at the time of initial appointment in accordance with this section to the sheriff’s officer position.

Beginning on January 1, 2023, a sheriff shall not appoint sheriff’s investigators in accordance with this section to more than 50 percent of open sheriff’s officer positions in any calendar year.³

(cf: P.L.2021, c.7, s.1)

³2.  There shall be appropriated from the State General Fund to the Department of Corrections $10,300,000 for the purpose of increasing salaries for State correctional officers, to be distributed in amounts determined by the Commissioner of Corrections and the Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission.³

³[2.] 3.³     This act shall take effect six months following enactment, except the Civil Service Commission may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.