Jackson Township is another step closer to adding a chaplain to the police department, after the township council approved the first reading at their meeting tonight.

The police chaplain will be a volunteer who has no rank or salary. It will be a three-year appointment and the person who is selected must be in good standing in the religious body from which he/she is selected, according to the ordinance.

In addition, all chaplains must reside in the township of Jackson, the ordinance states.

In 2019, New Jersey’s attorney general issued the “Officer Resiliency Directive,” a statewide program touted as the first of its kind in the nation to support the emotional and psychological well-being of law enforcement officers.

Although there is currently a chaplain position, the goal of this ordinance is to cement it in township law.

The committee voted unanimously and the ordinance will be heard again for a second and final reading on July 25th.

UPDATE: The ordinance was adopted this evening.