Trenton – Senator Shirley Turner issued the following statement in support of the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee advancing a series of police reform bills, including three bills she sponsored:

“As we have seen over the last two months of sustained protests, the time for change is now. When law enforcement officers hold implicit biases or lack cultural diversity training, it is not only detrimental to the effectiveness of their service but too often it is deadly. By increasing the diversity of our police force, and requiring implicit bias and cultural competency training, we can lay a foundation for more equitable policing in New Jersey. While there is still much more work to be done, the bills advanced from the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee today was a meaningful first step towards long term cultural shifts in how we improve policing.”

The following bills, sponsored by Senator Turner, passed the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee today:

• S.401 – Sponsored by Senator Turner and Senator Sandra B. Cunningham, the bill would require law enforcement agencies in the State to establish minority recruitment and selection programs.
• S.415 – Sponsored by Senator Turner, the bill would require the Division of Parole to offer parole services to certain defendants who have served their maximum sentence. Currently, parole services are only offered to those released on parole.
• S.419 – Sponsored by Senator Turner and Senator Linda Greenstein, the bill would require law enforcement agencies to provide law enforcement officers with cultural diversity training and develop a diversity action plan.