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A 838

Relates to the organization of industrial development agencies

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jonathan Jacobson and 5 co-sponsors

Requires all NJ officers to complete four hours of in-service de-escalation training every three years and adds accomplice liability for failing to de-escalate or intervene.

REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
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Bill Summary · A 838

Summary of Assembly Bill A-838 (Introduced Version)

Note: The bill text provided focuses on de-escalation training and accomplice liability for law enforcement, not the organization of industrial development agencies. The title listed may reflect an inconsistent labeling, but the introduced content pertains to police training and accountability.

Purpose and scope

  • Designed to improve law enforcement de-escalation and intervention during encounters with the public.
  • Establishes accomplice liability for law enforcement officers who fail to de-escalate or intervene when another officer commits an offense against a civilian.
  • Adds a uniform, in-service training requirement for officers, with materials to be provided online.

Key provisions

Section 1 – De-escalation training program

  • The Department of Law and Public Safety must develop or identify uniform de-escalation and intervention training materials.
  • Materials must be available as an online tutorial.
  • Training content to include communication techniques for defusing dangerous situations and strategies for handling individuals in mental or emotional crises.
  • Requirement: Every law enforcement officer must complete four hours of in-service de-escalation and intervention training every three years.
  • Definition provided: “De-escalation” means strategically slowing down an incident to give officers more time, distance, and tactical flexibility.

Section 2 – Amending N.J.S.2C:2-6 (Accomplice liability)

  • Revisions to codify accomplice liability in the context of law enforcement conduct.
  • A person is an accomplice if, among other bases, they fail to prevent an offense when they have a duty to do so, or if their conduct assists or facilitates the offense.
  • A critical new provision: a law enforcement officer is deemed to have the duty to prevent an offense by another officer by de-escalating and intervening.
  • A LE officer who fails to de-escalate or intervene is considered an accomplice to the offense under subsection c. of N.J.S.2C:2-6.
  • The section clarifies that an accomplice may be convicted based on the offense and their complicity, even if the primary offender is not prosecuted or is acquitted, immune, or convicted of a different offense.
  • The act takes effect immediately.

Effects and who is affected

  • Affects all law enforcement officers in New Jersey.
  • Establishes a mandatory training cadence (four hours every three years) and creates a liability standard for failure to intervene.
  • Potentially expands criminal exposure for officers who do not de-escalate or intervene in encounters involving other officers.

Procedural status and timeline

  • Introduced: January 9, 2024.
  • Initially referred to the Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee.
  • As of January 8, 2025, listed as REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS (duplicate reference appears in the provided record).
  • Sponsors include Primary: Michaelle C. Solages; other sponsors: Angelo Santabarbara, Jonathan Jacobson, Dana Levenberg, Steven Otis, Matthew Slater.

Related bills

  • Companion and related measures noted: S 4464 (and other related/companion references), S 7347, S 237, A 7532.

If you’d like, I can convert this into a briefing for a specific audience (e.g., law enforcement, municipal officials, or advocacy groups) or add a side-by-side comparison with current law (N.J.S.2C:2-6) to highlight exact changes.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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