Criminal Justice (Law Enforcement)

in committee · New Jersey · Senate Jan 13, 2026

S 2903: Establishes "MarcAnthony's Law;" criminalizes use of defaced or stolen firearm to injure a police officer; enhances penalties for defacing firearm.

S 2903, "MarcAnthony's Law," creates new criminal penalties for using defaced or stolen firearms to harm police officers in New Jersey. It classifies causing serious injury as a first-degree crime and causing bodily injury as a second-degree crime. The law specifically defines "defacing" a firearm as removing or altering its maker's name, model, or serial number (excluding normal wear and tear), and prohibits convictions from merging with other charges for the same act. This bill directly affects law enforcement officers and individuals who use altered or stolen firearms against them. The legislation amends New Jersey's criminal code to strengthen penalties for this specific offense.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill enhances penalties for harming police with defaced firearms, strengthening law enforcement protections and sentencing in criminal justice.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Firearms Law Enforcement Policing

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in committee · New Jersey · Senate Jan 13, 2026

S 3059: Establishes that law enforcement officer who chokes another utilizes deadly force.

This bill (S 3059) amends New Jersey law to explicitly define a law enforcement officer’s use of a chokehold - applying pressure to a person’s throat, windpipe, or neck area to hinder breathing or blood flow - as "deadly force." It directly affects New Jersey law enforcement officers, clarifying that such actions are now classified as deadly force under state law. The key provision specifies that officers cannot justify chokeholds unless they are necessary to protect themselves or others from death or serious injury, arrest a violent criminal, or prevent a violent crime. This change updates the legal definition to ensure chokeholds are treated with the same seriousness as other deadly force scenarios.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeClassifies chokeholds as deadly force, increasing police accountability and aligning with criminal justice reform to limit excessive force by law enforcement.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Violent Crime

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in committee · New Jersey · Senate Jan 13, 2026

S 255: Requires access to law enforcement disciplinary records as government records; requires such records to be retained for certain period of time.

New Jersey's S 255 requires all law enforcement disciplinary records - including complaints, hearing transcripts, dispositions, and bodycam footage - to be treated as public government records accessible to the public. It directly affects all New Jersey law enforcement officers (including police, correction officers, school safety officers, and parole officers) by mandating transparency in their disciplinary histories. The bill requires agencies to retain these records for at least 20 years (or 5 years for bodycam footage not tied to active legal cases), while redacting sensitive personal information like home addresses, medical details, and witness identities upon request. This policy change aims to increase accountability by making disciplinary actions publicly available, with specific rules for record retention and privacy protections.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeMandates public access to law enforcement disciplinary records, directly enhancing police accountability per criminal justice reform indicators.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Policing Probation & Parole Tags Government Transparency

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in committee · New Jersey · Senate Jan 13, 2026

S 1488: Establishes three-year pilot program encouraging development of nonlethal weapons.

S 1488 establishes a three-year pilot program to fund research and development of nonlethal weapons for law enforcement in New Jersey. The bill creates a $3 million "Non-Lethal Weapons Innovation Fund" to award up to $1 million each to three state higher education institutions (with priority for private-sector partnerships) for developing weapons designed to minimize fatalities and injuries during officer encounters. A 10-member review committee - including law enforcement, civil rights, and medical experts - will evaluate grant applications and annual progress reports, then recommend to lawmakers whether to extend the program. The initiative directly affects New Jersey colleges conducting this research and law enforcement agencies potentially using resulting technologies, but does not mandate deployment or create new weapons. The program expires after three years unless lawmakers decide to continue it based on the final report.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeFunds nonlethal weapons research to minimize officer encounter fatalities/injuries, directly aligning with criminal justice reform goals of protecting civil rights and enhancing police accountability.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Civil Rights Law Enforcement

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in committee · New Jersey · Senate Jan 13, 2026

S 2972: Enhances penalties for threats against certain public servants, establishes crime of doxxing, and enhances penalties for improper use of personal identifying information.

This New Jersey bill (S 2972) protects judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, child protective investigators, and their immediate families by making it illegal to post their home addresses or unpublished phone numbers online without authorization. It creates a new criminal offense for "doxxing" these public servants (posting personal information to harass them) and increases penalties for threats against them. The law requires online platforms to remove such information upon request from authorized officials like court clerks or U.S. Marshals. Violations could lead to criminal charges and stronger restraining orders for affected individuals.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeProtects law enforcement and public servants from doxxing/threats, strengthening system safety and operational capacity for criminal justice personnel.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill protects personal data privacy by criminalizing doxxing of public servants and requiring platforms to remove unauthorized personal information, aligning with data privacy safeguards.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Law Enforcement Data Privacy

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in committee · New Jersey · Senate Feb 5, 2026

S 1835: Reallocates fines incurred for violations of "Antwan's Law" to local municipality for pedestrian safety and law enforcement purposes.

This bill redirects fines for speeding violations under "Antwan's Law" in specific Burlington City zones (Route 130) to local municipalities. Currently, these tripled fines go to general municipal funds and county road funds, but this bill requires all such fines to be paid directly into the municipality's treasury. The funds must be used exclusively for pedestrian safety initiatives and law enforcement purposes within the municipality. It affects drivers who speed in the designated Burlington City areas covered by Antwan's Law, which reduces speed limits to 25-35 mph near schools and residential zones following a pedestrian fatality.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRedirects existing traffic fines to fund pedestrian safety and law enforcement, supporting specific public safety programs within municipal budget allocation.85% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRedirects traffic fines to fund law enforcement and pedestrian safety, directly supporting criminal justice system funding priorities.85% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationRedirects speeding fines to pedestrian safety initiatives, directly enhancing transportation safety infrastructure per bill summary.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Pedestrian Safety Roads & Highways Traffic Safety

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in committee · New Jersey · Senate Jan 13, 2026

S 1427: Concerns psychological testing of police officers.

This bill (S 1427) requires all new and existing New Jersey police officers - including city, county, campus, and sheriff's department personnel - to undergo mandatory psychological evaluations. Specifically, it mandates an initial evaluation before appointment, a second evaluation after the probationary period, and periodic evaluations every five years. The evaluations must include an oral interview and a professionally recognized clinical test to assess mental fitness for duty, explicitly addressing conditions like implicit bias. The bill also adds provisions allowing fitness-for-duty evaluations for officers showing concerning behavior, with officers entitled to review results and seek independent evaluation at their own expense.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeMandates psychological evaluations for police to ensure mental fitness, enhancing accountability and reducing misconduct risks in law enforcement.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Policing

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in committee · New Jersey · Senate Jan 13, 2026

S 389: Makes publishing on Internet home address or unpublished telephone number of judges, prosecutors and certain court personnel a crime of the fourth degree under certain circumstances.

New Jersey bill S 389 prohibits posting judges' or prosecutors' home addresses or unlisted phone numbers online when done with intent to cause harassment or risk of harm, or in reckless disregard of that risk. It directly affects judges (Supreme Court, Superior Court, Tax Court, municipal judges), prosecutors (county and assistant prosecutors), and designated court administrative staff. Violating this law is a fourth-degree crime punishable by up to 18 months in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both. The bill mirrors existing protections for law enforcement officers under New Jersey law.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeProtects court personnel from harassment, ensuring court system integrity and safety for criminal justice administration.92% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyProhibits online publication of sensitive personal data (addresses/phone numbers) of court personnel, strengthening data privacy protections by criminalizing unauthorized disclosure with intent to harass.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections Courts Law Enforcement

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died · New Jersey · Senate Jan 13, 2026

S 1787: Concerns use of force by law enforcement officers under certain circumstances and requires certain reporting of use of force incidents.

S 1787 requires New Jersey's Attorney General to review and update the statewide use-of-force policy every even-numbered year (or sooner if needed), ensuring it prioritizes de-escalation, limits force to what's necessary and proportional, and treats deadly force as a last resort. It mandates public reporting of all law enforcement use-of-force incidents through a publicly accessible online database and establishes specific protocols for handling barricaded persons - especially those in mental health crises - requiring crisis intervention training for officers. The bill also requires the Police Training Commission to include barricaded-person response training in all officer basic courses. Note: This bill was withdrawn on January 13, 2026, after being approved as part of P.L.2025, c.243.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill mandates de-escalation, proportional force limits, public reporting, and mental health protocols to enhance police accountability and reduce excessive force, directly advancing criminal justice reform.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Policing

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in committee · New Jersey · Senate Feb 19, 2026

S 1290: Prohibits sharing automated license plate reader information for interstate investigation concerning reproductive health care services that are legal in NJ.

This bill prohibits New Jersey law enforcement and automated license plate reader (ALPR) operators from sharing ALPR data with other states for investigations targeting people seeking or providing reproductive health care services that are legal in New Jersey (including pregnancy care, contraception, or abortion). It requires out-of-state law enforcement agencies to provide written assurance they won’t use the data for such investigations before NJ agencies share information. Violations carry civil penalties of up to $1,000 for a first offense and $5,000 for repeat offenses. The bill directly affects NJ law enforcement agencies, ALPR operators, and out-of-state agencies seeking to investigate legal reproductive health services.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticePrevents law enforcement from sharing ALPR data for investigations targeting legal reproductive health services, protecting civil rights and privacy in criminal justice context.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProtects access to legal reproductive health care by preventing data sharing for investigations targeting such services, advancing patient rights in healthcare.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyProhibits sharing ALPR data without privacy assurances, directly protecting user data privacy (a core technology policy area) by restricting interstate data sharing for sensitive health services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Women's Health

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