New Jersey 2022-2023 Regular Session

New Jersey Senate Bill S265 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	SENATE, No. 265 STATE OF NEW JERSEY 220th LEGISLATURE PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
2	2
3	3	SENATE, No. 265
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	STATE OF NEW JERSEY
8	8
9	9	220th LEGISLATURE
10	10
11	11
12	12
13	13	PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
14	14
15	15
16	16
17	17	Sponsored by: Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer) Co-Sponsored by: Senators Singleton and Cunningham SYNOPSIS Establishes crime of law enforcement officer choking another person; designated as George Floyd's Law. CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
18	18
19	19
20	20
21	21	Sponsored by:
22	22
23	23	Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER
24	24
25	25	District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
26	26
27	27
28	28
29	29	Co-Sponsored by:
30	30
31	31	Senators Singleton and Cunningham
32	32
33	33
34	34
35	35
36	36
37	37
38	38
39	39
40	40
41	41	SYNOPSIS
42	42
43	43	Establishes crime of law enforcement officer choking another person; designated as George Floyd's Law.
44	44
45	45
46	46
47	47	CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
48	48
49	49	Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
50	50
51	51
52	52
53	53	An Act concerning law enforcement, designated as George Floyd's Law, and supplementing Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes. Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey: 1. a. As used in this act, "law enforcement officer" means a person whose public duties include the power to act as an officer for the detection, apprehension, arrest, and conviction of offenders against the laws of this State and who is acting in the performance of the officer's duties while in uniform or exhibiting evidence of the officer's authority or status. b. A law enforcement officer who knowingly places pressure on a person's throat, windpipe, or carotid artery, thereby hindering or preventing that person's ability to breathe, or interfering with the flow of blood from the person's heart to the brain, shall be guilty of a crime of the first degree. 2. This act shall take effect immediately. STATEMENT This bill establishes a first degree crime of a law enforcement officer choking another person. Under the bill, a law enforcement officer who knowingly places pressure on a person's throat, windpipe, or carotid artery, thereby hindering or preventing that person's ability to breathe, or interfering with the flow of blood from the person's heart to the brain, is guilty of a crime of the first degree. First degree crimes are punishable by a prison term of 10 to 20 years, a fine of up to $200,000, or both. On June 5, 2020, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General issued notice that it will ban police departments from using chokeholds, carotid artery neck restraints, or similar tactics, except where deadly force is necessary. This bill prohibits these chokeholds. The bill is designated as George Floyd's Law, after George Floyd, who died while being choked by a Minneapolis law enforcement officer during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill.
54	54
55	55	An Act concerning law enforcement, designated as George Floyd's Law, and supplementing Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes.
56	56
57	57
58	58
59	59	Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
60	60
61	61
62	62
63	63	1. a. As used in this act, "law enforcement officer" means a person whose public duties include the power to act as an officer for the detection, apprehension, arrest, and conviction of offenders against the laws of this State and who is acting in the performance of the officer's duties while in uniform or exhibiting evidence of the officer's authority or status.
64	64
65	65	b. A law enforcement officer who knowingly places pressure on a person's throat, windpipe, or carotid artery, thereby hindering or preventing that person's ability to breathe, or interfering with the flow of blood from the person's heart to the brain, shall be guilty of a crime of the first degree.
66	66
67	67
68	68
69	69	2. This act shall take effect immediately.
70	70
71	71
72	72
73	73
74	74
75	75	STATEMENT
76	76
77	77
78	78
79	79	This bill establishes a first degree crime of a law enforcement officer choking another person.
80	80
81	81	Under the bill, a law enforcement officer who knowingly places pressure on a person's throat, windpipe, or carotid artery, thereby hindering or preventing that person's ability to breathe, or interfering with the flow of blood from the person's heart to the brain, is guilty of a crime of the first degree. First degree crimes are punishable by a prison term of 10 to 20 years, a fine of up to $200,000, or both.
82	82
83	83	On June 5, 2020, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General issued notice that it will ban police departments from using chokeholds, carotid artery neck restraints, or similar tactics, except where deadly force is necessary. This bill prohibits these chokeholds. The bill is designated as George Floyd's Law, after George Floyd, who died while being choked by a Minneapolis law enforcement officer during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill.