1. All correctional police officers of the State of New Jersey and investigators in the Department of Corrections, including all promotional ranks and positions responsible for overseeing correctional police officers and investigators so long as they have an underlying correctional police officer or investigator title, and parole officers employed by the State Parole Board, who have been or who may hereafter be appointed or employed, shall, by virtue of such appointment or employment and in addition to any other power or authority, be empowered to exercise full police powers and to act as peace officers, at all times, for the detection, apprehension, arrest, and conviction of offenders against the law.
Correctional police officers empowered with full police powers under this section shall, while performing their duties in a lawful manner, be deemed to be acting under lawful authority and shall enjoy all the immunities from tort liability and shall have all the pension, relief, disability, workmen's compensation, insurance, and other benefits they otherwise enjoy when performing their regular duties.