The NJ Police Chief Magazine Volume 24, Number 4 | Page 23

The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | April 2018
Continued from previous page
There is no doubt that this new law has enabled law enforcement to provide a viable option to our school security
challenges. Using our fiscal projections, we can now provide four officers for the price of one. This may also have
an overall impact on how many schools we can cover within our districts. In many school districts, only the high
schools are manned with full time police officers, as this decision is usually based on risk and funding.
While the new law is fairly simple, there are some statutory regulations and procedures implemented by the New
Jersey Police Commission.
As part of the pre-employment criteria, the following must be met:
 Candidate must be less than 65 years of age for appointment.
 Must be a retired police officer who has previously served as a duly qualified, fully-trained, full-time officer in
any municipality or county of this state, or as a member of the New Jersey State Police, and must be living in
New Jersey.
Must be retired from the law enforcement agency in good standing.
Must comply with the break in service requirements.
 During the first year of the program (July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018), a new SLEO III’s break in service
may not exceed five (5) years. Starting on July 1, 2018, a new SLEO III’s break in service may not
exceed three (3) years.
Must pass a medical and psychological exam.
Must pass a Drug Test pursuant to Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Drug Testing Policy.
Must have an updated background investigation.
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Once the candidate has met the criteria listed above, and has been appointed by the local unit, the following criteria
must be followed for a successful transition:
 Chief Executive must submit a Request for Waiver of Training to the New Jersey Police Training Commission.
(Form PTC-15)
 Include documentation confirming date of appointment. (Resolution, Personnel Action Form or signed
letter from Appointing Authority)
 Provide a letter of good standing from retiring agency, which includes date of retirement and type of
retirement.
 Signed Medical Form. (Form PTC 8A)
 Letter from hiring agency certifying the completion of a psychological exam, drug test, and updated
background investigation.
 Provide a copy of the School Resource Officer training certification, if previously completed.
 File a PTC Notice of New Appointment (NONA) form.
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Once all the paperwork is submitted to the PTC, there are only a few remaining issues. They include:
 Complete an SRO training program within 12 months of being appointed.
 Conform to Attorney General’s Mandatory in-service training requirements.
 Must be uniformed, displaying the Special Law Enforcement Officer Class III patch provided by the Police
Training Commission.
 Must complete agency training.
 Must be appointed yearly and can only be reappointed up to age 65.
Clearly, this new law provides a sound solution to many districts school security needs. It not only provides a sworn
law enforcement officer with years of experience, but it provides a valuable resource to our schools
and communities, in a cost effective manner.
Contributors’ opinions and statements are not purported to
define official NJSACOP policy or imply NJSACOP
endorsement.
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