SENATE LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
ASSEMBLY, No. 1720
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: MAY 19, 2022
The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee reports favorably
and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 1720.
As amended and reported by the committee, this bill requires the
Police Training Commission in the Division of Criminal Justice in the
Department of Law and Public Safety to include cultural diversity and
implicit bias training in the basic training course for police officers
appointed to a police department or force.
Current law requires the Department of Law and Public Safety to
develop or identify a uniform cultural diversity and implicit bias
training course, including an on-line tutorial, which includes
instruction promoting positive interaction with all members residing in
the community, regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual
orientation. The training course is available to every State, county,
municipal, and campus police department or force for in-service
training of its officers. This bill would require this cultural diversity
and implicit bias training to be administered to police officers during
their mandated basic training. The bill defines “implicit bias” as
having attitudes towards people or associating stereotypes with them
without conscious knowledge.
Finally, the bill requires instructors at basic training academies for
police officers to receive specialized training in cultural diversity and
implicit bias in policing.
As reported by the committee, Assembly Bill No. 1720 is identical
to Senate Bill No. 2072 which also was reported to the committee on
this date.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS
The committee amendments make the bill consistent with current
law, which requires the Department of Law and Public Safety to
develop or identify training course materials concerning implicit bias.