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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.

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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.

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Bradley Beach is an oceanfront borough in Monmouth County whose population of 5,000 during the winter quickly jumps to more than 30,000 during the summer months. Accessible through the New Jersey Transit's North Jersey Coast Line train and also motor vehicle via Route 35, Route 71, and Ocean Avenue, Bradley Beach is famous for its gorgeous beaches, large number of summer rentals, bed and breakfasts, and fine dining.

Being surrounded by Avon by the Sea, Ocean Grove, and Neptune, Bradley Beach is commonly traveled through during the summer, as locals and vacationers commonly make their way to the night clubs and bars of neighboring towns. Because of the large surge in population and hike in traffic congestion during the summer, Bradley Beach law enforcement normally see an increase in the amount of disorderly persons offenses and motor vehicle moving violations handed out at this time as they aim to maintain control over the growing number of summer residents and visitors. Last year alone, Bradley Beach witnessed 88 disorderly person offenses along with 492 motor vehicle moving violations, and 21 DWI's.

Disorderly persons charges are not uncommon and may result from such activity as disorderly conduct (N.J.S. 2C: 33-2), underage drinking (N.J.S. 2C: 33-15), use or possession of a fake I.D. (N.J.S. 2C: 21-2.1), assault (N.J.S 2C: 12-1), possession of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia (N.J.S. 2C: 35-10 and N.J.S. 2C: 36-2), criminal mischief (N.J.S. 2C: 17-3), and resisting arrest (N.J.S. 2C: 29-2). While many of these offenses can have very serious penalties including large monetary fines, restitution payments, and jail time, valid defenses may exist depending on the circumstances of each case.

Motor vehicle moving violations are a very broad category of offenses and include speeding, failing to yield, making an illegal turn etc. and also more serious violations such as DWI, DUI, and Refusal. While it is well known how damaging DWI and DUI charges can be to an individual's future, there are many misconceptions surrounding Refusal. Penalties for Refusal are almost identical to those of DWI or DUI and for a first time offender include loss of license for a minimum of seven months, a fine approaching $500.00, other monetary fines and penalties, completion of a program at an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center, and the required installation of an ignition interlock device into their vehicle. Subsequent offenses are even more severe.

For further information on the Bradley Beach Municipal Court, visit their website at:
http://bradleybeachonline.com/government/municipal-court/

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