40A:14-146.10 Special law enforcement officers.

3. a. Any local unit may, as it deems necessary, appoint special law enforcement officers sufficient to perform the duties and responsibilities permitted by local ordinances authorized by N.J.S.40A:14-118 or ordinance or resolution, as appropriate, authorized by N.J.S.40A:14-106 and within the conditions and limitations as may be established pursuant to this act.

b. A person shall not be appointed as a special law enforcement officer unless the person:

(1) Is a resident of this State during the term of appointment;

(2) Is able to read, write and speak the English language well and intelligently and has a high school diploma or its equivalent;

(3) Is sound in body and of good health;

(4) Is of good moral character;

(5) Has not been convicted of any offense involving dishonesty or which would make him unfit to perform the duties of his office;

(6) Has successfully undergone the same psychological testing that is required of all full-time police officers in the municipality or county or, with regard to a special law enforcement officer hired for a seasonal period by a resort municipality which requires psychological testing of its full-time police officers, has successfully undergone a program of psychological testing approved by the commission.

c. Every applicant for the position of special law enforcement officer appointed pursuant to this act shall have fingerprints taken, which fingerprints shall be filed with the Division of State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

d. No person shall be appointed to serve as a special law enforcement officer in more than one local unit at the same time, nor shall any permanent, regularly appointed full-time police officer of any local unit be appointed as a special law enforcement officer in any local unit. No public official with responsibility for setting law enforcement policy or exercising authority over the budget of the local unit or supervision of the police department of a local unit shall be appointed as a special law enforcement officer.

e. Before any special law enforcement officer is appointed pursuant to this act, the chief of police, or, in the absence of the chief, other chief law enforcement officer of the local unit shall ascertain the eligibility and qualifications of the applicant and report these determinations in writing to the appointing authority.

f. Any person who at any time prior to his appointment had served as a duly qualified, fully-trained, full-time officer in any municipality or county of this State and who was separated from that prior service in good standing, shall be eligible to serve as a special law enforcement officer consistent with guidelines promulgated by the commission. The training requirements set forth in section 4 of P.L.1985, c.439 (C.40A:14-146.11) may be waived by the commission with regard to any person eligible to be appointed as a special law enforcement officer pursuant to the provisions of this section.

g. In addition to the qualifications established in subsection b. of this section, a person shall not be appointed as a Class Three special law enforcement officer unless the person:

(1) is a retired law enforcement officer who is less than 65 years of age; for the purposes of this paragraph, a law enforcement officer shall not be considered retired if the officer's return to employment violates any federal or State law or regulation which would deem the officer's retirement as not being bona fide;

(2) had served as a duly qualified, fully-trained, full-time officer in any law enforcement position eligible for participation in the Police and Firemen's Retirement System or in any federal or bi-state law enforcement agency or as a member of the State Police and was separated from that prior service in good standing;

(3) is physically capable of performing the functions of the position, determined in accordance with Police Training Commission guidelines;

(4) possesses a New Jersey Police Training Commission Basic Police Officer Certification, New Jersey State Police Academy Certification, or other proof of basic police training approved by the Police Training Commission;

(5) has completed the training course for safe schools resource officers developed pursuant to subsection a. of section 2 of P.L.2005, c.276 (C.52:17B-71.8); and

(6) is hired in a part-time capacity.

For the purposes of this subsection, "good standing" shall exclude a retirement resulting from injury or incapacity.

L.1985, c.439, s.3; amended 2013, c.21, s.3; 2016, c.68, s.1; 2019, c.51, s.2.