Bill > S851

Introduced Session

This bill expands the scope of where Class Three special law enforcement officers may provide security to include places of religious worship. The bill further provides that in the event that a nonpublic school requests that its nonpublic security aid received under P.L.2016, c. 49 (C.18A:58-37.8 et seq.) be used to finance the appointment of a Class Three special law enforcement officer, the superintendent of the school district is to approve that request. Under current law, the chief school administrator of a nonpublic school and the superintendent of the school district in which the nonpublic school is located annually meet to agree upon the security services, equipment, or technology to be provided to the students of the nonpublic school with the available nonpublic security aid. This bill will allow the nonpublic school to make a determination on the use of those funds for a Class Three special law enforcement officer. P.L.2016, c.68 established an additional category of "Class Three" special law enforcement officers under the Special Law Enforcement Officers' Act to provide security in this State's public and nonpublic schools and county colleges. Appointed by the local police department, these officers are authorized to exercise the full powers and duties as those accorded full-time police officers of the department. A person is eligible to be appointed as a Class Three special law enforcement officer if he or she is a retired police officer less than 65 years old and has served as a duly qualified, fully-trained, full-time municipal or county police officer or was regularly employed as a full-time member of the State Police within the previous three years. The person also has to be physically capable of performing the job and have the appropriate law enforcement and safe schools resource officer training. These officers may only be employed to assist municipal police departments and are not to be employed to replace or substitute for full-time police officers. They may only be hired in a part-time capacity. Specifically under the bill, in addition to providing security in public and nonpublic schools and county colleges, Class Three officers could provide security in churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, or any other building used by a congregation as a place of religious worship.

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Tony Bucco (R)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document