Scroll Top

JOHNSON BILL TO INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF GANG-RELATED CRIME SIGNED INTO LAW

Legislation sponsored by Assembly Law and Public Safety Chairman Gordon Johnson to ensure the public is informed of gang activity in their community has received been signed into law.

The bill (A-3264/S-1537) clarifies that information contained in gang related incident offense reports be forwarded to the Superintendent of State Police and included in the Uniform Crime Report.

Current law only requires this information be forwarded to the superintendent, as well as the appropriate county bureau of identification.

“Local police departments are already required to submit quarterly reports to the Attorney General concerning offenses committed within their jurisdictions, so this isn’t an undue burden on anyone” said Johnson (D-Bergen). “It’s important that the public be aware of all crimes being committed in their neighborhood, but crimes related to gang activity can be especially important to parents and those who look after our children.”

“Nothing is gained by keeping such information secret, whereas making it public can only help in our efforts to combat gang-related crime,” Johnson said.

The bill was approved by the Senate in March and the Assembly last month.