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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.

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

Fair Haven is a borough located in northern Monmouth County bordered by Rumson, Little Silver, Middletown, Red Bank, and Shrewsbury. It is accessible through Route 35 and has a population of about 6,000. Located directly on the Navesink River, Fair Haven's residents and visitors from nearby towns enjoy such activities as fishing, boating, and rowing throughout the warmer months and frequent the small borough's many fine restaurants, including Nauvoo Grill Club, year round. Not surprisingly, as summer approaches, Fair Haven becomes increasingly busy. This hustle and bustle is not always viewed as a good thing, however, and local law enforcement officers take it upon themselves to make sure the swelling crowds and voluminous traffic do not bring with them increased disturbances to the quiet and peaceful nature of Fair Haven. This crackdown results in an increased number of disorderly persons charges, moving violations, and DWI charges.

Disorderly persons offenses refer to a broad category of offenses which include, but are not limited to, disorderly conduct (N.J.S. 2C:33-2), trespass (N.J.S. 2C: 18-3), criminal mischief (N.J.S. 2C: 17-3), simple assault (N.J.S. 2C: 12-1), use or possession of a fake ID (N.J.S. 2C: 28-7), underage drinking (N.J.S. 2C:33-15), possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia (N.J.S. 2C:35-10 and N.J.S. 2C: 36-2), and resisting arrest (N.J.S. 2C:29-2). Being convicted of one of these offenses can have serious consequences including jail time, significant monetary fines, enrollment into community service programs, and other penalties. Last year alone, Fair Haven witnessed 36 disorderly persons offenses.

Motor vehicle moving violations are common in Fair Haven and refer to a number of different driving offenses. Some of the most common lesser infractions include speeding, failure to stop, failure to yield to a pedestrian, tailgating, and illegal turns. While these are often viewed as somewhat trivial offenses, penalties resulting from such motor vehicle violations in Fair Haven may include the assessment of motor vehicle points leading to increased insurance premiums, significant monetary fines, loss of license and other penalties.

The more severe drunk driving violations are DWI, DUI and Refusal in New Jersey. When an individual is charged with a DWI, DUI, or Refusal, extremely severe consequences will follow a conviction. A first time offender faces repercussions including loss of license for up to a year, monetary fines up to $500.00, the installation of an ignition interlock device system into their vehicle, jail time, and enrollment into an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center program. Along with this, the individual will bear the stigma of having been convicted of such a serious offense, which may hinder their ability to secure employment throughout their lives. Last year, Fair Haven witnessed 340 moving violations and 21 DWIs.

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