Bill > S740

Introduced Session

This bill exempts certain persons who have already successfully completed certain Police Training Commission courses from additional animal cruelty training required pursuant to P.L.2017, c.331. It also prohibits certain persons from receiving an exemption from the training requirements. The bill provides that any person who, prior to the date of enactment of P.L.2017, c.331, has successfully completed phase 1 and phase 2 of the Police Training Commission Basic Humane Law Enforcement Course or a similar course is exempt from the additional training required pursuant to that law. The bill also authorizes a chief humane law enforcement officer to request an exemption from the training requirements for a current or prospective municipal humane law enforcement officer, humane law enforcement officer of a county society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or chief humane law enforcement officer or other law enforcement officer who received other animal cruelty training under Title 4 of the Revised Statutes. The bill authorizes the Police Training Commission to grant a request for an exemption from the training requirements at its discretion, provided that certain conditions established in the bill are met. The bill requires a person obtain, before receiving the exemption, documentation from the person's primary care physician that the person satisfies standards of health and physical fitness to perform the duties of a municipal police officer, county investigator, sheriff's officer, correctional police officer, Class Two special law enforcement officer, humane law enforcement officer, or member of the State Police, as applicable. Finally, the bill prohibits a person from receiving an exemption who has been: 1) convicted of a crime; 2) found liable for any civil animal cruelty offense pursuant to Title 4 of the Revised Statutes; or 3) separated from duty as a municipal police officer, county investigator, sheriff's officer, correctional police officer, Class Two special law enforcement officer, or member of the State Police for seven years or more on the date of enactment of P.L.2017, c.331. Finally, the bill removes the authorization for agents of a county society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, appointed prior to the date of enactment of P.L.2017, c.331 (C.4:22-14.1 et al.), to be designated as municipal humane law enforcement officer, a humane law enforcement officer of a county society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or as a chief humane law enforcement officer or a law enforcement officer under the supervision of the chief humane law enforcement officer.

Committee Categories

Tony Bucco (R)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee (on 01/14/2020)

Official Document