CAPE MAY – Cape May City Council introduced an ordinance Wednesday, Nov. 8, amending the city code regarding the police department and requiring that the city is in compliance with the New Jersey Police Licensure Act.

In the introduced ordinance, the only change to the existing code adds the requirement that, effective Jan. 1, 2024, all city police officers must hold a valid, active license issued by the Police Training Commission in order to be employed as a police officer in New Jersey.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed the Police Licensure Program Bill in July, making New Jersey the 47th state to adopt some form of police licensure requirement.

Under the bill, the Police Training Commission develops and implements a program for licensing for all police officers in the state. The program has mandatory requirements and minimum competency standards. The program also has procedures to ensure renewal of a license. Officers under the program will be required to pass a psychological examination. They will also have to take in-service training courses throughout their career.

The new rules are part of the state’s broader police reform program. The Police Training Commission will also have parameters under which it can revoke a license of an officer for defined causes. The program requires monitoring of adverse actions by police departments against officers.

The ordinance introduced in Cape May will mirror similar actions that each municipality with a police department will have to adopt to comply with the state statute.

Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.