Requires law enforcement officer to reveal facial identity during certain public interactions and to present sufficient identification prior to arresting or detaining person.

A1743 1R

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 1743

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO

District 20 (Union)

Assemblywoman ALIXON COLLAZOS-GILL

District 27 (Essex and Passaic)

Assemblyman GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ

District 33 (Hudson)

Assemblyman� MICHAEL VENEZIA

District 34 (Essex)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Haider, Assemblyman Verrelli, Assemblywoman
Park, Assemblyman Singh, Assemblywomen Brennan, Carter, Assemblymen Wainstein,
Bhalla, Assemblywoman Pintor Marin, Assemblymen Freiman, Stanley and Kearney

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires law enforcement officer to reveal facial
identity during certain public interactions and to present sufficient
identification prior to arresting or detaining person.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As reported by the Assembly Public Safety and
Preparedness Committee on February 12, 2026, with amendments.

��

An Act
concerning law enforcement officers and supplementing
Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

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

���� 1.��� This act shall be known
and may be cited as the �Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act.�

���� 2.��� As used in this act,
�law enforcement officer� means a member of any federal, State, county, or
municipal law enforcement agency, department, or division of those governments
who is statutorily empowered to act for the detection, investigation, arrest,
conviction, detention, or rehabilitation of persons violating the laws of this
State or of the United States.

����� 3.�� a.�
Except as provided in subsection b. of this section, a law enforcement officer
shall not wear a mask or disguise when interacting with the public while in the
performance of the officer�s official duties.

����� b.�� Subsection
a. of this section shall not apply to a law enforcement officer who is:

����� (1)
engaged in an undercover assignment
1
or other tactical
operation, including violent-crime or organized-crime suppression
1

;

����� (2)

1
the subject of a threat of retaliation resulting from the
performance of the officer�s official duties;

�����
(3)
1

wearing a shield that does not conceal the officer�s face to protect
the officer�s face from harm;

�����
1
[
(3)
]

(4)
1
wearing a medical
grade mask or N95 respirator designed to prevent the transmission of disease
1
[
and has obtained a statement from a licensed
physician that the mask or respirator is necessary to protect the health of the
officer
]
1
;

1
[
or

����� (4)
]

(5)
1
wearing a mask for
protection against exposure to smoke during a State of Emergency
1
;

�����
(6)

wearing a mask designed to protect against exposure
to cold during a weather emergency; or

�����
(7)
wearing a mask to protect against exposure to biological or chemical agents
during an incident where these agents may be present
1
.

���� 4.��� a.� Every law
enforcement officer shall provide sufficient identification prior to detaining
or arresting an individual.� A law enforcement officer shall be deemed to have
provided sufficient identification if the officer, prior to detaining or
arresting an individual, satisfies one of the following conditions:

���� (1)� the officer is dressed in
a department-issued uniform bearing the agency insignia;

���� (2)� the officer demonstrates
a department-issued identification card bearing the officer�s photograph and
identifying information;

���� (3)� the officer demonstrates
a badge, tag, label, or other department-issued identification which identifies
the officer by number; or

���� (4)� the officer verbally
discloses, in a clear and audible manner, the officer�s name and the official
name of the law enforcement agency by which the officer is employed.

���� b.��� The provisions of
subsection a. of this section shall not apply to a law enforcement officer
when:

���� (1)� the release of sufficient
identification may compromise the integrity of an authorized investigation;

���� (2)� a supervisor determines
stealth is necessary; or

���� (3)� a law enforcement officer
reasonably believes the officer�s personal safety is at risk.

���� c.��� This section shall not
be construed to prohibit a law enforcement officer in plain clothes or
operating an unmarked vehicle from intervening in urgent matters of public
safety.

���� 5.��� The Attorney General shall
issue guidelines or a directive necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.

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