TRENTON — The state Senate today gave final passage to legislation that would allow New Jersey residents to voluntarily indicate in their driving records that they have diabetes, a measure aimed at avoiding violent encounters with police.

The bill (A945), passed 39-0, was introduced last year but went nowhere until an article appeared in The Star-Ledger in October about a diabetic driver's confrontation with State Police troopers. The legislation passed the Assembly in April and now goes to Gov. Chris Christie for consideration.

"We’ve seen too many misunderstandings between diabetics and police officers that could have been avoided with this basic knowledge," Assemblywoman Celeste Riley (D-Cumberland), a sponsor, said in a statement. "This will be a big step toward resolving this ever-present worry for both diabetics and police.”

The bill would allow law enforcement officials or emergency medical personnel to access the information in order to understand or diagnose someone's condition in case the person suffers a diabetic seizure or is otherwise unable to communicate clearly.

No one else would be allowed to access the medical information, which would be kept by the state Motor Vehicle Commission.

In 2010, a Pennsylvania man driving home from the Jersey Shore pulled to the side of the road after his blood sugar dropped and he became disoriented. Troopers mistook his condition for belligerence and wrestled him to the ground, struck him with a baton and arrested him, according to a video recording and an incident report.

The man, Daniel Fried, claims in a federal lawsuit the troopers used excessive force, fracturing his wrist and denying him medical care. Troopers refused to bring him sugary juice from his van that he requested, according to a recording of the incident, and 38 minutes passed before paramedics arrived.

The first trooper to arrive said he suspected diabetes but never shared that with a second trooper, who later confronted Fried and took him to the ground. The troopers said in an incident report that force was necessary because Fried was obstinate and did not follow commands.

Sources with knowledge of the state's internal investigation of the encounter told The Star-Ledger in October the troopers were cleared of accusations that they had used excessive force.

The troopers contended in court documents that they never received training on how to differentiate diabetes from intoxication, and that they never saw a warning bracelet Fried says he has worn since his condition was diagnosed.

Fried, of Springfield, Pa., in Delaware County, is among an estimated 25.8 million people in the United States — including more than 589,000 in New Jersey — who have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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