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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" »

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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!" »

The 23rd Annual Chowderfest weekend, takes place October 1 and 2, presented by the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce held at 9th Street and Taylor Avenue, in Beach Haven, Long Beach Island, New Jersey. This is the last busy weekend for visitors, locals and merchants to enjoy great food and music and have fun on Long Beach Island.

Whenever there is a large number of visitors to an event some people will be arrested for disorderly persons offenses, receive motor vehicle violations, drive drunk or commit more serious crimes. If you are arrested on Long Beach Island you need an experienced New Jersey criminal defense attorney to defend your case.

Disorderly persons offenses are a general category of offenses that can have serious consequences. If you are charged with a disorderly persons offense in Barnegat Light, Long Beach Township, Harvey Cedars, Surf City, Ship Bottom, or Beach Haven you could face up to a $1,000.00 fine, may be ordered to pay restitution, spend up to six months in jail, and pay other monetary fines and penalties. Discuss with an experienced LBI criminal defense attorney the alternatives to pleading guilty to a disorderly persons offense.

Commonly written disorderly persons offenses on Long Beach Island include:
disorderly conduct (N.J.S. 2C:33-2), trespass (N.J.S. 2C: 18-3(b)), criminal mischief (N.J.S. 2C: 17-3), simple assault (N.J.S. 2C: 12-1), fake ID (N.J.S. 2C: 28-7), underage drinking (N.J.S. 2C:33-15), possession of CDS (N.J.S. 2C:35-10), and resisting arrest (N.J.S. 2C:29-2).

The municipalities of Long Beach Island saw a combined 985 motor vehicle violations in 2010. Some commonly written motor vehicle violations in Long Beach Island include: speeding (N.J.S. 39:4-98 and N.J.S. 39:4-99), failure to yield to a traffic sign (N.J.S. 39:4-81), reckless driving (N.J.S. 39:4-96), and careless driving (N.J.S. 39:4-97). Long Beach Island also saw 123 DWI, DUI, and refusal offenses written in 2010. These offenses are extremely serious and the penalties can include loss of your driver's license, significant fines, jail time, completion of a program at an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center, and the installation of an ignition interlock device.

LBI police officers wrote numerous charges this summer for possession of fake ID, misrepresentation of age to purchase alcohol and underage drinking. The charge most commonly written falls under the New Jersey Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) laws, a Title 33 offense. More specifically, Long Beach Island Police Officers are writing a N.J.S. 33:1-81 charge to violators. The Title 33 statute makes it a punishable offense to present false identification for the purposes of obtaining alcohol (N.J.S. 33:1-81c). The penalties for a conviction include a mandatory fine of no less than $500.00 and mandatory suspension of your driver's license for 6 months.

In addition to the Fake ID charge, you may also be arrested for the disorderly persons offense of underage drinking (N.J.S. 2C: 33-15). A conviction for underage drinking carries a mandatory $500.00 fine and if you are caught consuming that alcohol in a motor vehicle, you could be facing a 6-month driver's license suspension as well. If you are convicted of both the underage drinking offense and the Fake ID offense you are facing at least $1,000.00 in fines plus other court costs and a suspension of your driver's license for 6 months. Losing your license for 6 months can be quite inconvenient. Quite simply, you will have to either rely on public transportation or others to drive you wherever you need to go.

Continue reading "Arrested in LBI (Long Beach Island)? Call an Experienced LBI Criminal Defense Attorney. " »

Recently, Beach Haven Police Officers and State of New Jersey ABC investigators have been cracking down on underage drinkers frequenting local taverns. A new type of very convincing fake ID has surfaced in the various towns of Long Beach Island (LBI) and law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and judges are diligently arresting, prosecuting and sentencing individuals possessing these fake IDs. The new type of fake ID seems to be getting past some bar owners, bouncers, and bartenders who are relying on police officers to help them spot the fake IDs in LBI.

Beach Haven and all LBI police officers have written numerous charges this summer so far for possession of fake ID, misrepresentation of age to purchase alcohol and underage drinking. The charge most commonly written falls under the New Jersey Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) laws, a Title 33 offense. More specifically, Long Beach Island Police Officers are writing a N.J.S. 33:1-81 charge to violators. There are a host of offenses published under the statute and penalties can be quite harsh for a conviction. The Title 33 statute makes it a punishable offense to present false identification for the purposes of obtaining alcohol (N.J.S. 33:1-81c). Penalties for a conviction of the Title 33 offense are almost identical to the New Jersey disorderly persons statute of N.J.S. 2C: 21-2.1: "Offenses involving false government documents." In fact, a provision in the Title 33 statute specifically states that all those convicted under it, "shall be deemed and adjudged to be a disorderly person." The penalties for a conviction include a mandatory fine of no less than $500.00 and mandatory suspension of your driver's license for 6 months.

In addition to the Fake ID charge, you could also face the disorderly persons offense of underage drinking (N.J.S. 2C: 33-15). A conviction for underage drinking carries a mandatory $500.00 fine and if you are caught consuming that alcohol in a motor vehicle, you could be facing a 6-month driver's license suspension as well. If you are convicted of both the underage drinking offense and the Fake ID offense you are facing at least $1,000.00 in fines plus other court costs and a suspension of your drivers license for 6 months. Losing your license for 6 months can be quite inconvenient. You might be asking yourself how you can get back to college or how you will get to and from work. Quite simply, you will have to either rely on public transportation or others to drive you wherever you need to go.

Continue reading "DO NOT Plead Guilty to a Fake ID Charge on Long Beach Island: Beach Haven Municipal Court" »

Long Beach Island or LBI is a collection of six municipalities contained on an 18-mile long barrier island nestled between the Barnegat Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The six beachfront communities include: Barnegat Light, Long Beach Township, Harvey Cedars, Surf City, Ship Bottom, and Beach Haven. The total year-round population of Long Beach Island is around 20,000. During the summer months, the population swells nearly five times to almost 100,000 and the roadways inevitably become congested.

Due to the large population explosion during the summer months and the number of activities and attractions contained on Long Beach Island, it is no surprise that LBI saw approximately 123 DWI, DUI, and refusal charges written throughout its six municipalities. DWI, DUI, and refusal charges, while not criminal, are quite serious and have long-lasting, life altering repercussions.

If you are caught operating a motor vehicle, motorcycle, or boat while under the influence of an intoxicating liquor, habit forming drug (legal or illegal), or narcotic, you will be charged with a DWI or DUI. In order to be charged, the LBI Police Officer must read a standard statement outlining your legal rights and obligations regarding DWI violation. After reading the statement the officer must ask if you will submit to a chemical test to determine your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). If you agree to submit to the test and your answer is not ambiguous, the officer will take you to a Long Beach Island Police Station (depending on which municipality you were stopped in) where a trained officer will administer a BAC test using the Draeger Alcotest® 7110.

Since the Draeger Alcotest® 7110 device is so sensitive, New Jersey law has mandated that the officer observe you for a period of no less than 20 minutes before he asks you to breath into the machine to ensure that you have not done anything or will not do anything that may skew the results. Once you breath into the device, your BAC will be taken using both infrared and electro-chemical sensors. If the machine performed without malfunction and it takes a BAC reading of 0.08% or above, you will be charged with a per se DWI. If, however, your BAC reading is under 0.08% or the officer has not administered one, you might still be charged with a DWI.

You can be written a DWI charge if the officer believes that you were driving drunk. He may testify in court that the charge was proper because he observed you slurring words, observed the smell of alcohol, observed you staggering, or observed you fumbling while attempting to produce necessary documentation. Without a BAC reading or one below the statutory limit, the State or municipality can only charge and convict you of a first tier, first offense DWI.

If convicted of a DWI or DUI you could face the following penalties depending on your actual BAC reading and the number of previous DWI drunk driving convictions you have sustained: loss of license for up to 1 year, a $500.00 fine, other monetary penalties, up to 30 days in jail, must meet the program and fee requirements of the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center (IDRC), and could possibly be forced to install an ignition interlock device in your car.

Continue reading "LBI Drunk Driving: Long Beach Island DWI Lawyer" »

Now that summer is in full swing, most people like to take advantage of the great weather during the day and the local bar scene at night. Unfortunately, many of those people are not of legal age to drink alcohol and frequent the bars. For years, underage individuals have been trying to get their hands on "good fakes" in order to purchase alcohol, tobacco, and to gain entrance into the popular bars. It seems as if underage individuals on Long Beach Island (LBI) got their wish and then suffered the consequences of their quest to find a "good fake". Recently, three underage individuals were caught trying to gain entrance to the Sea Shell Hotel and Bar using a fake ID. Owner, John Hughes thought the ID's were suspicious and called police. Police described the fake ID's as something new.

Although police have not commented further, there seems to be a trend of new fake ID's. A website based in China claims to sell fake ID's that will scan, pass a UV test, and have all the necessary holograms to pass muster. Recent alcoholic beverage industry articles have made individual bar owners, operators, and police officers aware of this trend and are urging that they take further precautions encouraging more rigorous inspection. The recent articles also encourage bar owners to purchase a relatively inexpensive book titled The Drivers License Guide, which has pictures of each states' true drivers' licenses and what to look for to spot a fake. This heightened awareness will most likely lead to more fake ID charges written by police officers.

Although most underage individuals view having and using a fake ID as harmless, a conviction for such can be extremely damaging and can result in severe penalties. If you are caught in possession of or in the process of using a fake ID, you can be charged with a disorderly persons offense or an indictable offense (N.J.S. 2C: 21-2.1). A "fake ID" can be a falsified drivers license, birth certificate, or any other falsified government document. Usually, fake ID's are used to verify age or identity for the purposes of obtaining controlled substances such as alcohol and tobacco products. If the person using the fake ID is the only person deriving the benefit of it, then more often than not it will be charged as a disorderly persons offense. However, if you tamper with any public record, the penalties can follow those of indictable offenses of the 3rd and 4th degree. If the underage person is charged with a disorderly persons offense, they could face: jail time, a $1,000.00 fine, a permanent record, and community service. However, if they are charged with a more serious 3rd or 4th degree offense, they face a possible prison sentence, higher fines, probation, and other severe penalties.

If the underage individual did use a "good fake" to obtain entry to a bar or to purchase liquor products and is caught in possession of the ID and alcohol (such as drinking in a bar), you can be charged with both a fake ID violation and an underage drinking violation. Any person, who is under the legal drinking age of 21, can be charged with the disorderly persons offense of underage drinking (N.J.S. 2C: 33-15) if caught consuming alcohol. These offenses are usually written at loud house parties, street festivals, bars, or any place of public assembly. Conviction of the underage drinking offense will result in a fine of no less than $500.00. If the underage person is found with alcohol in a motor vehicle, he or she could have their license either suspended or postponed for up to 6 months.

Continue reading "In New Jersey Use And/Or Possession Of A Fake ID Can Result In Severe Penalties" »

Long Beach Island (LBI for short) is a collection of six distinct municipalities contained on an 18-mile long barrier island nestled between the Barnegat Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The six beachfront communities include: Barnegat Light, Long Beach Township, Harvey Cedars, Surf City, Ship Bottom, and Beach Haven. The total year-round population of Long Beach Island is around 20,000. During the summer months, the population swells nearly five times to almost 100,000. This is no surprise considering all that Long Beach Island has to offer.

Visitors and residents alike can visit the historic Barnegat Lighthouse in Barnegat Light, enjoy the rides at Fantasy Island Amusement Park in Beach Haven, and go shopping at the famous and original Ron Jon Surf Shop in Surf City. Visitors may choose to rent a quiet home in Harvey Cedars, or go shopping for antiques and nautical items in Ship Bottom. Whatever you feel like doing for the day, the municipalities along Long Beach Island can oblige. Due to the large influx of summer visitors and great number of amusements and attractions, Long Beach Island municipalities saw over 165 disorderly persons offenses in 2010.

Disorderly persons offenses are a general category of offenses that can have serious repercussions. Placed just below 4th degree indictable offenses, disorderly persons charges have some similar penalties and will be placed on a permanent record. If you are charged with a disorderly persons offense in Barnegat Light, Long Beach Township, Harvey Cedars, Surf City, Ship Bottom, or Beach Haven you could face up to a $1,000.00 fine, may be ordered to pay restitution, spend up to six months in jail, and pay other monetary fines and penalties.

Commonly written disorderly persons offenses on Long Beach Island include:
disorderly conduct (N.J.S. 2C:33-2), trespass (N.J.S. 2C: 18-3(b)), criminal mischief (N.J.S. 2C: 17-3), simple assault (N.J.S. 2C: 12-1), fake ID (N.J.S. 2C: 28-7), underage drinking (N.J.S. 2C:33-15), possession of CDS (N.J.S. 2C:35-10), and resisting arrest (N.J.S. 2C:29-2).

The municipalities of Long Beach Island saw a combined 985 motor vehicle violations in 2010. Some commonly written motor vehicle violations in Long Beach Island include: speeding (N.J.S. 39:4-98 and N.J.S. 39:4-99), failure to yield to a traffic sign (N.J.S. 39:4-81), reckless driving (N.J.S. 39:4-96), and careless driving (N.J.S. 39:4-97). Because of its 18 miles of roads, Long Beach Island also saw 123 DWI, DUI, and refusal offenses written in 2010. These offenses, while not criminal, are extremely serious and can include, loss of license, heavy fines, jail time, and in some cases the installation of an ignition interlock device.

Continue reading "Long Beach Island Criminal Lawyer: Long Beach Island Municipal Courts" »