SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
[First Reprint]
SENATE, No. 3506
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: MARCH 17, 2025
The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports
favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3506 (1R).
As amended, this bill requires the Attorney General to establish a
training program to enhance the ability of a local police department
or force to manage an incident involving a large-scale gathering or
a
flash mob.
The bill defines a “flash mob” as a gathering or pop-up party of
50 or more persons, typically organized through social media or
other electronic communication, that occurs without advance notice
to the municipality or other local governmental unit and impacts
public safety. “Large-scale gathering” is defined as any public or
private gathering with greater than 500 attendees.
The training program is required to include, but is not limited to:
(1) general crowd management and crowd control techniques;
(2) crowd management and crowd control techniques applicable
to juveniles;
(3) strategies for responding to social media activity related to
large-scale gatherings or flash mobs;
(4) best practices for coordination and resource sharing with
county and neighboring municipal law enforcement agencies; and
(5) best practices for ensuring the safety of attendees, the public,
and law enforcement during a large-scale gathering or flash mob.
In addition, the bill requires the Attorney General to establish
and maintain protocols through which the following resources may
be requested by and made available to any municipal police
department or force that requires assistance beyond its own
personnel and resources in managing an incident involving a large-
scale gathering or flash mob:
(1) access to social media monitoring tools and intelligence
resources provided through the Division of State Police;
(2) mobile command units that may be deployed during a large-
scale gathering or, if practicable, during a flash mob; and
(3) personnel from county and neighboring municipal law
enforcement agencies and from the Division of State Police to 2
provide support, as needed, in accordance with principles established
under the protocols or any applicable memoranda of understanding
or mutual aid plan.
The protocols required by the bill are to include a process by
which a municipal police force or department may, for exigent
need, request immediate support during a flash mob.
As amended and reported by the committee, Senate Bill No. 3506
(1R) is identical to Assembly Bill No. 4653 (1R), which was also
amended and reported by the committee on this date.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS :
The committee amended the bill to:
(1) clarify that the training program is to include crowd control
techniques;
(2) provide that the training program is to include coordination
with county law enforcement agencies; as introduced, the bill’s
provisions only referred to municipal law enforcement agencies;
(3) clarify that the Attorney General is to establish and maintain
protocols through which resources may be requested by a municipal
police force or department that require assistance beyond its own
personnel and resources in managing an incident involving a large-
scale gathering or flash mob;
(4) provide that the protocols established by the amended bill
are to include a process by which a municipal police force or
department may request immediate support during a flash mob; and
(5) make other technical and clarifying changes.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Fiscal information for this bill is currently unavailable.