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!" »

Farmingdale is a small borough in Monmouth County completely surrounded by Howell Township. It is directly accessible by County Route 547 and is in close proximity to both Route 33 and Route 34. Farmingdale, a small and rather rural community, is home to Spring Meadows Golf Course and Howell Park Golf Course, but does not see a significant amount of activity throughout the year until summer starts approaching. Summer brings swarms of people out onto the roads and whether their destination is the nearby Jersey Shore, Manhattan, or Philadelphia, traffic and general congestion are felt all over New Jersey, including in smaller communities such as Farmingdale. During the summer months, bars and restaurants throughout Farmingdale, such as Woody's Roadside Tavern, experience a significant increase in activity and this is not lost on the locals, who wish to preserve the quiet nature of their town. Local law enforcement, striving to retain control over the summer crowds both on and off the roads, increase the number of disorderly persons offenses, motor vehicle violations, and DWI charges.

Disorderly persons offenses refer to a broad category of offenses with some of the more popular being 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). Penalties for being convicted of one of these offenses may include significant monetary fines, jail time, community service, and payment of restitution where necessary.

Motor vehicle violations in Farmingdale are common and include moving violation infractions such as speeding, failure to maintain lanes, failure to stop as well as much more serious alcohol related New Jersey drunk driving violations such as DWI, DUI, and Refusal. For a first time offender convicted of one of these New Jersey drunk driving offenses, penalties may include monetary fines up to $500.00, loss of your driver's license for up to a year, jail time, enrollment into an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center program, and the installation of an ignition interlock device system into your car. Last year there were 65 moving violations in Farmingdale and 9 DWIs in Farmingdale.

Continue reading "Farmingdale Criminal Defense Attorney: Farmingdale Municipal Court" »