The State’s Attorney General has issued an update to Directive No. 2016-7. This update makes three notable changes that should be shared with your public safety officials to ensure that your municipality is in compliance with the updated Directive.
On Monday, the State’s Attorney General issued an update to Directive No. 2016-7. When first issued, Directive No 2016-7 required all local law enforcement agencies to report within 24-hours all, “suspicious activity with a possible nexus to terrorism” to the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP). This update makes three notable changes.
- First, the definition of suspicious activity has been expanded to more accurately reflect current threats. Suspicious activity now includes, “any and all threats of violence generally to any public location or mass gathering area” and “threats of violence specifically to any school, workplace, or house of worship, or other criminal activity related to terrorism.”
- Second, prior to the updates, local law enforcement was required to report threats to the NJOHSP within 24-hours. Now, they will be required to immediately report threats to the NJOHSP and their County Terrorism Coordinator.
- The third notable change to the Directive requires the NJOHSP to immediately share information it receives regarding suspicious activity with Federal law enforcement officials as well as all 21 County Terrorism Coordinators.
This information should be shared with your public safety officials to ensure that your municipality is in compliance with the updated Directive.
Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., League Staff Attorney, FMarshall@njslom.org, 609-695-3481 x.137.