AG Platkin issues directive requiring all New Jersey police agencies to adopt active violent event policies
TRENTON, N.J. — Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has issued a new statewide directive requiring all law enforcement agencies in New Jersey to develop and maintain an active violent events policy that meets consistent statewide standards.
While many departments already have active shooter policies, Attorney General Law Enforcement Directive 2025-2 ensures every agency across the state is equally prepared and that individual policies align with uniform procedures and training requirements.
“My office is committed to making sure every law enforcement agency and officer is well prepared, in the event of a tragedy, to take immediate action,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Lack of planning and delays during an active shooter response can be disastrous and result in the unnecessary loss of innocent lives. This directive seeks to ensure agencies have proper training, policies, and plans in place. It is our greatest responsibility to reduce the frequency and severity of these incidents, we must take every precaution possible.”
Effective immediately, the directive requires agencies to establish active violent event policies outlining training, coordination, and response plans. Departments must submit their policies to their respective county prosecutor’s office by Jan. 9, 2026, where prosecutors will confirm compliance with the directive’s requirements.
Each agency’s policy must include core priorities for law enforcement during such events: addressing and neutralizing the threat, rescuing victims, and clearing the area of bystanders.
Agencies are also required to follow on-scene coordination protocols outlined in the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and to establish a unified command structure for coordinated emergency management.
The directive mandates that every policy include family reunification procedures, including which agency will coordinate reunification and how a reunification site will be established.
Law enforcement agencies must also create a training plan incorporating a basic active shooter incident management course and tactical training for officers. Each county prosecutor’s office must conduct an annual active shooter training exercise with participation from every police agency in the county and encourage involvement from fire departments and emergency medical services.
The directive places particular emphasis on preparing officers to respond effectively at critical locations, such as schools, hospitals, stadiums, and government buildings. Agencies must maintain current points of contact for those sites and, in the case of schools, work jointly with educational institutions to develop access plans and have readily available maps of each facility.
Andrew Caggiano, chief of the Montville Township Police Department and president of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, voiced his support for the directive.
“As sworn protectors of public safety, New Jersey’s law enforcement community must take any and all necessary actions to neutralize active threats,” Caggiano said. “That is why the NJSACOP is a strong supporter of the Attorney General’s directive to require all police departments to have an Active Violent Event Policy in place, incorporating the most effective law enforcement practices available. Each and every law enforcement agency must regularly review these policies and undertake training sessions to ensure all officers fully understand their roles and responsibilities if a public safety emergency, such as an active shooter incident, should occur.”
The initiative builds on Governor Phil Murphy’s 2022 announcement of $6.5 million in federal funding to digitize school building blueprints for first responders — part of a broader effort to improve emergency response coordination and school safety across the state.
