52:17B-4.14 Use of force policy core principles, revisions, public hearings.
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/nj/title-52/chapter-17b/52-17b-4-14·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
1. a. The Attorney General shall review the Statewide use of force policy applicable to law enforcement officers every even numbered year, or in such shorter time frame as the Attorney General may deem appropriate, and revise it as need may require.
Any revision of the Statewide use of force policy shall be in furtherance of at least the following core principles:
(1)respecting the sanctity of human life and serving the community;
(2)prioritizing other reasonable measures, including de-escalation, that must be attempted before resorting to the use of force;
(3)promoting the use of only objectively reasonable, necessary, and proportional force, including the use of deadly force only as a last resort; and
(4)articulating other duties attendant to the use of force, such as a law enforcement officer’s duty to intervene, to render medical assistance, and to report and review uses of force.
b. The Attorney General shall transmit any revisions of the Statewide use of force policy to the chief or director of every county and municipal law enforcement department, every municipal and county prosecutor, and the Superintendent of State Police.
c. The Attorney General, in reviewing the Statewide use of force policy pursuant to subsection a. of this section, shall hold three public hearings, one hearing in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State, at such times as the Attorney General shall determine, in order to receive feedback from the community related to such policy. Such public hearings shall include local law enforcement and community members and organizations.
L.2025, c.243, s.1.