STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman REGINALD W. ATKINS
District 20 (Union)
Assemblyman WILLIAM W. SPEARMAN
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
SYNOPSIS
Concerns operation of cruise lights on patrol vehicles.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning the operation of law enforcement vehicles and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this act, "law enforcement agency" shall have the same meaning as provided in section 1 of P.L.2020, c.52 (C52:17B-247).
b. Any member of a law enforcement agency in this State operating a patrol vehicle equipped with an emergency light bar may, when appropriate, activate the colored, solid, non-flashing lights on the vehicle's emergency light bar between dusk and dawn.
c. The Attorney General may issue or amend guidelines or directives necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill allows operators of law enforcement patrol vehicles that are equipped with an emergency light bar to activate the colored, solid, non-flashing lights of the emergency light bar, also known as "cruise lights," between dusk and dawn. The bill permits the Attorney General to issue or amend guidelines or directives for the State's law enforcement agencies to use, or for any exception to the requirement to use, cruise lights.
Around the nation, cruise lights are becoming an increasingly utilized tool by law enforcement agencies of varying size to enhance the visibility of police and deter criminal activity. Departments that use cruise lights report it is a way for people to easily locate an officer when they need assistance and an indication that police are on patrol in the area.
The large police departments of Philadelphia, Cincinnati, the District of Columbia and the state police of Connecticut have been employing this practice for some time. For a smaller force, activating cruise lights while on routine patrol amplifies the department's presence. Recent trial runs by small police forces in North Carolina yielded positive feedback from small business owners, school districts, civic groups, and individuals. It is the sponsor's intent to make this simple instrument of community policing customary for the law enforcement agencies of the State of New Jersey.