TRENTON, N.J. – In a letter to Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, the New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association called for the immediate passage of Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick’s bill, A5523, which reverses a recently signed law that charges police officers with a third-degree crime if they detain, search or arrest minors suspected of underage drinking or possessing marijuana.
“The misguided law signed by Governor Murphy earlier this year has handcuffed our law enforcement,” said Bramnick (R-Union). “The Legislature must come together in a bi-partisan manner to pass this bill and allow our police officers to keep our communities safe.”
There have been numerous reports of pop-up parties around the state with large gatherings of minors drinking and publicly using marijuana. In June, hundreds flooded Pier Village in Long Branch leading to unruly behavior and property damage.