New Jersey Criminal Lawyers Blog

Contact a Seaside Heights Criminal Defense Attorney if you need help.
Police officers throughout Ocean and Monmouth County are now using a new device that can scan passersby vehicle license plate numbers in a second and instantly provide the status of your vehicle and information about its owner. With 6 cameras mounted on the roof of the "reader car", information is instantly sent to the dashboard computer screen. If a vehicle warrants stopping, such as a outstanding warrant for arrest, an alert beeps and the officer can initiate a motor vehicle stop. The legality of the instruments usage has already been approved in a recent case, State v. Donis, that held that a police officer may randomly check the status of a vehicle registration or driver's license and whether the vehicle or its plates are stolen. According to one source, there are approximately 1.5 million unregistered or unlicensed vehicles in the State of New Jersey.
The scanners have powerful uses for crimes other then motor vehicle violations enforcement. Each scanner saves the data of license plate numbers it has read. If for example, bank robbers are casing a place for several hours beforehand their plates may be picked up by a police camera. Police are able to fetch this data many days later if need be as evidence to help establish probable cause and other elements of the crime.

Continue reading "Police In Ocean and Monmouth County Can Scan Your License Plate in a Second With New Technology" »

If you need a criminal lawyer contact the Villani & DeLuca Law Firm Now for a free consultation.
The everyday traffic stop by a police officer has recently taken a drastic new turn. Implementation of tiny personal cameras pinned onto every police officer in Sea Girt Jersey is sure to create vibrations that will be felt for decades to come throughout New Jersey courtrooms. Created by Axon System the mini cameras are mounted on a headband, eyeglasses, or clipped to the collar of police and are able to record up to six hours of an officer at work. When video is recorded, it is wirelessly uploaded to a website, evidence.com, where it is available for retrieval by an officer with the proper authority. This groundbreaking implementation of technology, already used in Western States, is hoped to lead to better overall law enforcement procedure. In today's highly litigious society where even a simple traffic stop may end up in municipal court, this new upgrade will have untold effects.

The new technology will cost the Sea Girt Police Department about $2,000 per system and $1,200 in annual cost for data storage per unit. Sea Girt, with only 11 police officers, is the first of New Jersey's 566 municipalities to implement the mini cameras but already officials in Morristown and Cape May County have indicated their intent to have them soon. This new technology is possibly a response to the current trend of motor vehicle drivers recording snippets of their traffic stop with a cell phone. Rather than having only 10 seconds of recording, the longer videos will provide greater insight into the specifics of what happened.

Continue reading ""Big Brother" Police in New Jersey Are Watching You!" »

Allentown is a very small borough in southwestern Monmouth County completely surrounded by Upper Freehold Township. Even though its population hovers right around 2,000 and it's only .6 square miles in area, Allentown receives a fair amount of traffic from nearby Interstate 195 and the New Jersey Turnpike due to its strategic location just 40 minutes northeast of Philadelphia and 50 minutes southwest of Manhattan. Because of its location, as summer approaches and more people begin to hit the roads, congestion around Allentown becomes increasingly problematic. To insure that Allentown retains its peaceful small town atmosphere, local law enforcement typically face this increased amount of summer traffic by raising the number of disorderly persons offenses, motor vehicle moving violations, and DWI charges handed out.

Disorderly persons offenses refer to a general category of offenses which include disorderly conduct, trespass, simple assault, resisting arrest, underage drinking, and possession or use of a fake ID. If convicted, these charges can lead to jail time, heavy monetary fines, community service, probation and payment of restitution. Last year in Allentown, there were 4 such disorderly persons offenses.

Motor vehicle moving violations are much more frequent in Allentown, as last year the small borough witnessed 905 such offenses. As the population of Allentown is only comprised of 2,000 people, it is quite clear that the majority of offenders are people traveling through the small borough. Some of the most common moving violations are speeding, reckless or careless driving, tailgating, failure to stop, and many others. Penalties for such offenses can include significant monetary fines, the assessment of motor vehicle points on your driver's license leading to increased insurance premiums and suspension of your driver's license for accumulating over 12 points in less than two (2) years. If convicted of an alcohol related drunk driving offense, such as DWI, DUI, or Refusal, the penalties become increasingly severe. A first time offender convicted of one of these charges may face loss of their license for up to a year, monetary fines approaching $500.00, jail time, the installation of an ignition interlock device into their vehicle, and enrollment into an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center program. It must also be noted that restricted licenses, which would allow an individual to use their vehicle in limited capacities, are not issued in the State of New Jersey.

Continue reading "Allentown Criminal Defense Lawyer (NJ): Allentown Municipal Court" »