Bill > A4532

Introduced Session

This bill requires the Police Training Commission in the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety to include cultural diversity and implicit bias training in the basic training course for police officers appointed to a police department or force. Current law requires the Department of Law and Public Safety to develop or identify a uniform cultural diversity training course, including an on-line tutorial, which includes instruction promoting positive interaction with all members residing in the community, regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. The training course is available to every State, county, municipal, and campus police department or force for in-service training of its officers. This bill would require this cultural diversity training to be administered to police officers during their mandated basic training. The bill further requires the Department of Law and Public Safety to develop or identify training course materials concerning implicit bias in policing. The Police Training Commission also is required by the bill to include the implicit bias training course materials in the basic training for police officers. The bill defines "implicit bias" as having attitudes towards people or associating stereotypes with them without conscious knowledge. Finally, the bill requires instructors at basic training academies for police officers to receive specialized training in cultural diversity and implicit bias in policing.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D)*,  Shanique Speight (D)*,  Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D)*,  Britnee Timberlake (D),  Anthony Verrelli (D), 

Reported out of Assembly Comm. with Amendments, 2nd Reading (on 12/13/2021)

Official Document