New Jersey Criminal Lawyers Blog

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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!" »

Bay Head, New Jersey is a small beachfront community located along the Route 35 corridor in Ocean County. Quaint and quiet, Bay Head is home to beautiful homes, pristine beaches, and small boutique shops and restaurants. Bay Head is nestled between Mantoloking and just south of Point Pleasant Beach. Bar patrons inevitably pass through Bay Head when traveling from Seaside Heights to Point Pleasant Beach to visit their favorite watering holes. While small in size, Bay Head does see its share of criminal offenses and motor vehicle violations activity due to its position along the Route 35 corridor.

In 2010, Bay Head saw a few disorderly persons offenses written. A disorderly persons offense is a general category of offenses often written by Bay Head Police Officers to maintain peace and order. If convicted of a disorderly persons offense the individual can face fines, jail time, probation and community service. Some commonly written disorderly persons offenses 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).

As previously mentioned, Bay Head's position along the Route 35 corridor lends itself to motor vehicle violations. During 2010, Bay Head Police Officers wrote almost 170 motor vehicle violations. If convicted of a motor vehicle violation, an individual can face fines, license suspension, and points assessed to his or her driver's license by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Some commonly written motor vehicle violations 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). Bay Head also saw a number of DWI, DUI, and refusal violations in 2010. Convictions for DWI, DUI, and refusal offenses are quite serious and can be life-altering. Depending on the level of the offense, an individual can face jail time, fines and other penalties, loss of license, program and fee requirements of an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center (IDRC), and the possible installation of an ignition interlock device.

Continue reading "Bay Head Criminal Lawyer: Bay Head Municipal Court" »