The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee voted out legislation to loosen training requirements for new police officers. S4208 would allow municipal and county police departments to establish a nine-month probationary period for new officers, during which they could assume police duties without completing basic training. In response to this legislation advancing, New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) released the following statement.

Marleina Ubel, Policy Analyst, NJPP:

“Amid public demands for increased accountability in law enforcement, the committee’s action is not only tone deaf, but dangerous.

“We need more training for police, not less, given the pervasiveness of police brutality and that communities of color bear the brunt of it. In New Jersey, a Black person is 224 times more likely to experience police brutality than a white person. To end unnecessary use of force by police and create safer communities for everyone, legislators should pass bills that increase transparency, oversight, and accountability in policing — not bills weakening requirements that serve the public interest.”

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New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) is a nonpartisan think tank that drives policy change to advance economic, social, and racial justice through evidence-based, independent research, analysis, and advocacy.