Bill > A2948

Introduced Session

This bill would enhance the ability of a municipality to respond to groups of disorderly people engaging or planning to engage in riotous or other violent and destructive behavior by imposing a curfew within all or a part of the municipality. Under the bill, if five or more persons are engaging in disorderly conduct that is likely to cause substantial harm, and a peace officer or other public servant orders the participants and others in the immediate vicinity to disperse, but the participants and others fail or refuse to disperse, the peace officer or other public servant would notify the mayor and the chief of police of the municipality of the existence of the disorderly conduct, and the failure of the participants and others to disperse. Further, if five or more persons agree to engage in disorderly conduct that constitutes an immediate threat to cause substantial harm, and a peace officer or other public servant orders the persons to not engage in such disorderly conduct, the peace officer or other public servant would notify the mayor and the chief of police of the municipality of the existence of the likelihood of the occurrence of disorderly conduct. Immediately after receiving such notice, the mayor and the chief of police of the municipality, in consultation with the municipal emergency management coordinator, would determine whether there exists, or there is a likely expectation of, violence or property destruction in all or part of the municipality, and whether the ability of law enforcement to exert control over the disorderly conduct may be enhanced by a declaration of a local emergency and the imposition of a curfew within all or part of the municipality. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, upon determining: the existence, or a likely expectation of, violence or property destruction in all or part of the municipality; and that the ability of law enforcement to exert control over the disorderly conduct may benefit from the declaration of a local emergency and the imposition of a curfew, the mayor may declare a local emergency and impose a curfew for all or a part of the municipality. A curfew declared under the bill would apply to all people within the area of the declared local emergency, may be enforced between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., and may continue for a period of no more than seven consecutive days, unless the mayor extends the declaration and the curfew. The bill defines "mayor" to include the mayor or chief executive officer of the municipality, as appropriate to the form of government and defines "chief of police" to include the chief of police or other executive head of a municipal police department and force. The bill would further require the Superintendent of State Police, in consultation with the Attorney General, to adopt certain guidelines related to the implementation of the bill.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Gary Schaer (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document