SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE, No. 2051
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: JUNE 13, 2024
The Senate Judiciary Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No.
2051.
This bill requires law enforcement officers to conduct a danger
assessment of victims of domestic violence and provide assistance to
victims deemed to be at a higher risk of harm.
Specifically, the bill requires a law enforcement officer to conduct
a danger assessment of any person who the officer has reasonable
cause to believe is a victim of domestic violence in order to determine
if the potential victim is in immediate need of services. The danger
assessment would be conducted with the consent of the alleged victim
using an objective, standardized, and evidence-based domestic
violence danger assessment instrument approved by the Attorney
General, in consultation with the State’s Domestic Violence Fatality
and Near Fatality Review Board.
The danger assessment instrument would be required to generate a
score or rating that indicates an elevated risk that an alleged victim of
domestic violence will suffer serious bodily injury or death as a result
of a future act of domestic violence. The approved instrument would
be based on information deemed relevant by the Attorney General
which is to include, but not be limited to:
- the date of all recent acts of domestic violence using a calendar
provided by the officer to the victim to identify or approximate the
date of all recent acts; and
- for each recent act of domestic violence: a description of each act
including the type of physical violence used, if any; whether any
injuries were sustained by the alleged victim; and whether the act
involved the use of, or threat to use a firearm or other weapon.
If the danger assessment generated a score or rating that indicates
an elevated risk of serious bodily injury or death to an alleged victim,
the law enforcement officer would be required to: notify the victim
that the score generated indicates there is an elevated risk; and, with
the consent of the alleged victim, facilitate the provisions of immediate
assistance through a domestic crisis team or other services available to
victims of domestic violence.
The bill also requires the Attorney General to incorporate into the
current domestic violence training course and curriculum for law
enforcement officers additional training on how to conduct the danger 2
assessment required by the bill, and notifying and facilitating access to
services to alleged victims who are deemed pursuant to an assessment
to be at an elevated risk of harm.
This bill was prefiled for introduction in the 2024-2025 session
pending technical review. As reported, the bill includes the changes
required by technical review, which has been performed.