Permits county sheriffs to certify that law enforcement officer meets certain criteria for renewal of law enforcement license.

A1479

ASSEMBLY, No. 1479

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman ANTWAN L. MCCLELLAN

District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)

Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Permits county sheriffs to certify that law
enforcement officer meets certain criteria for renewal of law enforcement
license.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
concerning certain law enforcement officer licenses and
amending P.L.2022, c.65.

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

���� 1.� Section 17 of P.L.2022,
c.65 (C.52:17B-71d) is amended to read as follows:

���� 17.� a. A law enforcement
officer required to renew the officer's license or a person appointed as a
permanent law enforcement officer prior to the effective date of P.L.2022, c.65
(C.52:17B-71a et al.) shall submit an application for law enforcement license
renewal through the officer's employing law enforcement unit to the
commission.� The application for law enforcement license renewal shall be on a
form adopted by the commission and shall require the law enforcement officer
and the chief law enforcement officer of the officer's employing law
enforcement unit to certify that the officer:

���� (1) is of good moral character
as determined by a background investigation conducted under the procedures
established by the commission;

���� (2) successfully meets and has
completed all commission required physical and educational training courses;

���� (3) has not been convicted of:

���� (a) a crime in this State or
any other state, territory, country, or of the United States, including a
conviction of an offense which if committed in this State would be deemed a
crime under either state or federal law without regard to its designation elsewhere;

���� (b) an act of domestic
violence pursuant to P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-17 et seq.);

���� (c) an offense that would
preclude an applicant from carrying a firearm as defined by N.J.S.2C:39-1;

���� (d) a disorderly persons
offense or petty disorderly persons offense involving dishonesty, fraud, or a
lack of good moral character, unless the commission determines the offense to
be de minimis in nature or inconsequential to the applicant's ability to meet
the standards expected of a law enforcement officer;

���� (e) two or more motor vehicle
offenses for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs or
alcohol pursuant to R.S.39:4-50 or two of more motor vehicle offenses for
reckless driving pursuant to R.S.39:4-96; or

���� (f) any offense listed in
subparagraph (b) through (e) of this paragraph committed in violation of the
laws of another state, territory, country, or the United States.

���� (4) is not an active member of
a group or organization that advocates for, espouses or promotes the overthrow
of a local, state or federal government or discrimination or violence against
or hatred or bias toward individuals or groups based on race, creed, color,
national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender
identity or expression, or any other protected characteristic under the
"Law Against Discrimination," P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-1 et seq.), and
has not knowingly engaged in any activity, conduct, or behavior relating to the
group or organization with the intent to support, endorse or advocate for, or
which the officer knows or should know will have the effect of supporting,
furthering, or advocating for, the goals of the group or organization, where
active membership or knowing engagement undermines or tends to undermine public
confidence in the ability of the individual law enforcement officer or the
employing law enforcement agency to carry out the public safety mission, or where
active membership or knowing engagement causes or threatens to cause
substantial disruption to proper law enforcement functioning; and

���� (5) has not engaged in conduct
or behavior in the officer's personal or professional life, including but not
limited to, making statements, posting, sharing, or commenting in support of
any posting on social media or otherwise that demonstrates, espouses, advocates
or supports discrimination or violence against, or hatred or bias toward
individuals or groups based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry,
sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any
other protected characteristic under the "Law Against
Discrimination," P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-1 et seq.), where the conduct or
behavior would undermine public confidence in the ability of the individual law
enforcement officer or the employing law enforcement agency to carry out the
public safety mission, or where the conduct or behavior would cause substantial
disruption to proper law enforcement functioning.

����
Every county sheriff shall
be permitted to certify, in accordance with the provisions of this subsection,
that a law enforcement officer employed by the sheriff�s department in that
county meets the criteria set forth in this subsection for the renewal of the
officer�s license.

���� b.��� A law enforcement
officer who is unable to certify to any item enumerated in subsection a. of
this section shall disclose to the commission the reason the officer cannot
make the certification.� The commission shall consider this information in
determining whether the officer's license shall be renewed.

���� c.���� In addition to the
information contained in the law enforcement license renewal application form,
the commission may request any additional information it deems relevant to
determine whether a law enforcement officer's license should be renewed.� The
information may include a summary of a law enforcement officer's internal
affairs file, or the entire file as the commission deems necessary.� An
employing law enforcement unit or the law enforcement officer shall provide all
additional information requested by the commission.

���� d.��� A license issued
pursuant to section 14 of P.L.2022, c.65 (C.52:17B-71b) may be renewed
administratively, under terms and conditions established by the commission,
without requiring review by the licensing committee pursuant to subsection d.
of section 9 of P.L.2022, c.65 (C.52:17B-71a) or conducting a hearing pursuant
to section 19 of P.L.2022, c.65 (C.52:17B-71f), if the licensee and the
licensee's employing law enforcement unit submit the certifications required
pursuant to subsection a. of this section and if a notice of an employment
action concerning the licensee has not been submitted to or is not required to
be submitted to the commission in accordance with subsection b. of section 16
of P.L.2022, c.65 (C.52:17B-77.16a).

���� e.���� The license of a law
enforcement officer who is active and in good standing and who has timely
submitted a completed renewal application which the commission fails to act
upon prior to the license expiration date shall be deemed in force and effect
until the time as the commission acts upon the renewal application, provided
that nothing in this subsection shall be construed to preclude the commission
from exercising the authority provided under section 18 of P.L.2022, c.65
(C.52:17B-71e) during that interval or thereafter.

���� f.���� Any decision to deny a
license renewal shall be accompanied by a written statement in a form to be
prescribed by the commission.

(cf: P.L.2022, c.65, s.17)

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill permits county
sheriffs to certify that law enforcement officers meet certain criteria for the
renewal of the officer�s law enforcement license.

���� Under current law, a law
enforcement officer that is required to renew the officer�s license is required
to submit an application through the officer�s employing law enforcement unit
to the Police Training Commission (PTC).� The application is required to be on
a form adopted by the PTC and requires the law enforcement officer and the
chief law enforcement officer of the officer�s employing law enforcement unit
to certify that the officer meets certain criteria.

���� This bill permits every county
sheriff to certify that a law enforcement officer employed by the sheriff�s
department in that county meets the criteria set forth under current law for the
renewal of the officer�s license.