New Jersey S 1175: Requires counties to establish crisis intervention services programs for law enforcement officers, firefighters, and sheriff's officers.

Bill Text

S1175 

SENATE, No. 1175 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Senator KRISTIN M. CORRADO

District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)

Senator ANDREW ZWICKER

District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)

Co-Sponsored by:

Senator Lagana

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires counties to establish crisis intervention 
services programs for law enforcement officers, firefighters, and sheriff's 
officers.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative 
Counsel.

��

An Act concerning crisis intervention services programs for 
law enforcement officers, firefighters, and sheriff�s officers, and amending 
P.L.1998, c.148.

���� Be It 
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of 
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� Section 1 of P.L.1998, 
c.148 (C.40A:14-195) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1.��� The governing body of 
any county, by ordinance or resolution, as appropriate, [may] shall 
provide for the establishment of a [law 
enforcement] 
crisis intervention services program.� The purpose of the program is to provide 
post traumatic debriefing and counseling services for law enforcement officers, 
firefighters, and sheriff's officers who have been involved in incidents 
which may produce personal or job-related depression, anxiety, stress, or other 
psychological or emotional tensions, traumas, pressures or disorders.

���� A crisis intervention services 
program established pursuant to this act, P.L.1998, c.148 (C.40A:14-195 et 
seq.), shall be an independent agency of county government.� It shall not 
be organized as a division, department, bureau, or as any other type of 
subdivision of any county law enforcement agency [or], of any other law 
enforcement department, force or agency of any municipality within the county, 
or of any firefighting unit within the county or a municipality in the county.

���� To preserve the integrity of 
the services offered under the program, the facility shall not be located at or 
adjacent to any law enforcement or firefighting facility, station or 
barracks in the county.

���� Upon application for 
reimbursement by a county governing body to the Director of the Division of 
Budget and Accounting in the Department of the Treasury, a county shall be 
reimbursed by the State for any costs incurred by the county as a result of the 
requirements of this section.

(cf: P.L.1998, c.148, s.1)

���� 2.� Section 2 of P.L.1998, 
c.148 (C.40A:14-196) is amended to read as follows:

���� 2.� a.� [If] When a 
county establishes a crisis intervention services program pursuant to this act, 
P.L.1998, c.148 (C.40A:14-195 et seq.), the services shall be available 
to any law enforcement officer, firefighter, and sheriff's officer 
employed by any county law enforcement department or agency, or any municipal 
department, force or agency in the county, or any firefighting unit in the 
county or a municipality in the county who is involved in an incident which 
may produce personal or job-related depression, anxiety, stress, or other 
psychological or emotional tensions, traumas, pressures or disorders.� The 
services of a county program shall also be available to any law enforcement 
officer or firefighter who is employed by a department or agency of the State 
when the officer or firefighter is a resident of that county or when the 
primary work location of the officer or firefighter is in that county.� The 
services of a county program shall also be available to volunteer 
firefighters.� The term �law enforcement officer� shall include 9-1-1 first 
responder dispatchers.

���� An employer shall not 
require a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or sheriff�s officer who is 
receiving debriefing and counseling services to use accrued paid vacation 
leave, personal leave, or sick leave if the law enforcement officer, 
firefighter, or sheriff�s officer leaves work to attend the debriefing and 
counseling sessions.� Nothing in this act shall be construed to prohibit a 
law enforcement officer, firefighter, or sheriff's officer in a county 
which has established a crisis intervention program from participating in any 
other crisis intervention, stress management or counseling program.

���� b.��� [If a county 
establishes a crisis intervention services program pursuant to P.L.1998, c.148� 
(C.40A:14-195 et seq.), any] 
Any officer or firefighter employed by any county law enforcement 
department or agency, or any municipal department, force or agency in the 
county, any firefighting unit in the county or a municipality in the county, 
or any department or agency of the State, who is actively involved in a 
critical incident, shall be required to participate in the program's debriefing 
and counseling services before returning to active [law enforcement] duty unless, 
in the opinion of the chief executive officer of the law enforcement agency or 
firefighting unit, the ability to deploy off