[directive] ATTORNEY GENERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DIRECTIVE No. 2002-2 APPROVAL OF SEARCH WARRANT APPLICATIONS, EXECUTION OF SEARCH WARRANTS, AND PROCEDURES TO COORDINATE INVESTIGATIVE ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY MULTIPLE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES  WHEREAS, the Criminal Justice Act of 1970, N.J.S.A. 52:17B-97 et seq., declares it to be the public policy of this State “to encourage cooperation among law enforcement officers and to provide for the general supervision of criminal justice by the Attorney General as chief law enforcement officer of the State, in order to secure the benefits of a uniform and efficient enforcement of the criminal law and the administration of criminal justice throughout the State”, N.J.S.A. 52:17B-98; and WHEREAS, many law enforcement and prosecuting agencies operating at the federal, state, bi-state, county and local levels of government have overlapping territorial and subject-matter jurisdiction, creating a potential for the investigative activities of one resident agency to conflict with investigations or intelligence- gathering operations that are being undertaken by other law enforcement agencies; and WHEREAS, it is necessary and appropriate, consistent with the Attorney General’s responsibility to secure the benefits of the uniform and efficient enforcement of the criminal law, to establish and periodically refine policies, procedures and protocols to enhance cooperation among the law enforcement agencies operating within the State, and to promote the appropriate sharing of information among and between these law enforcement agencies; and WHEREAS, the need for enhanced cooperation and coordination of law enforcement activities and efforts is especially important given the urgent need to muster all available law enforcement resources and assets to respond to the threat of terrorist activities, and in light of new enforcement initiatives to investigate and New Jersey Is An Equal Opportunity Employer Page 2 prosecute offenses and offenders associated with criminal gangs and other violent or predatory criminal organizations that typically operate without regard to jurisdictional boundaries and beyond the jurisdiction of any one law enforcement agency; and WHEREAS, the authority to conduct a court-authorized search of a dwelling, place of business or automobile is a vital investigative tool routinely used and relied upon by law enforcement agencies to detect and prosecute violators of the law; and WHEREAS, it is the constitutional and statutory responsibility of the Attorney General as the State’s chief law enforcement officer to ensure that search warrants are properly and effectively utilized, and that law enforcement agencies are aware of and comply with all rules and procedures established by law or Court Rules that are designed to safeguard the rights of citizens under the United States and New Jersey Constitutions to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures; and WHEREAS, in 1985, following upon the recommendations contained in a presentment issued by a special county grand jury, the Attorney General and the County Prosecutors’ Association of New Jersey issued a joint policy statement requiring that all applications for search warrants be reviewed by the Attorney General or his designees, or the appropriate County Prosecutor, or his designees, prior to submission to a court for authorization; and WHEREAS, while the scope of prosecutorial review established in the 1985 policy statement was limited to a determination whether probable cause exists to justify the issuance of a search warrant, it is now necessary and appropriate for the Attorney General, in order to safeguard the integrity of law enforcement investigations, protect the safety of law enforcement officers, and to safeguard sources of information and investigative techniques relied upon by law enforcement agencies, to establish uniform policies and procedures concerning all aspects of the search warrant process, including the execution of search warrants and strict adherence to the principles established in R. 3:5- 4, which provides that a search warrant shall be issued with all practicable secrecy and that the disclosure that a warrant has been applied for or issued, except as necessary for its execution, may constitute a contempt of court.