Statement

Loosening Police Training Requirements is Not Only Tone Deaf, But Dangerous

To end unnecessary use of force by police and create safer communities, legislators should pass bills that increase transparency, oversight, and accountability in policing.

By

Published on Dec 16, 2021 in Public Safety

The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee today voted out legislation to loosen training requirements for new police officers. S4208 would allow municipal and county police departments to establish a nine-month probationary period for new officers, during which they could assume police duties without completing basic training. In response to this legislation advancing, New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) released the following statement.

Marleina Ubel, Policy Analyst, NJPP:

“Amid public demands for increased accountability in law enforcement, the committee’s action is not only tone deaf, but dangerous.

“We need more training for police, not less, given the pervasiveness of police brutality and that communities of color bear the brunt of it. In New Jersey, a Black person is 224 times more likely to experience police brutality than a white person. To end unnecessary use of force by police and create safer communities for everyone, legislators should pass bills that increase transparency, oversight, and accountability in policing — not bills weakening requirements that serve the public interest.”

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Author

  • Marleina Ubel, State Policy Fellow, has been a dedicated advocate for underrepresented groups throughout her academic career. She began her undergraduate work at Valencia College and earned a transfer scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she earned a B.A. in Philosophy. As a PIKSI fellow, she spent a summer at MIT challenging demographic disparities in institutions of higher learning. She is currently pursuing her M.S.W. in Management and Policy at Rutgers University. Her most recent research has focused on the negative impacts of public policy on low-income fathers. Marleina lives in Lambertville with her husband and daughter.
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