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!" »

Lakewood, New Jersey is the largest municipality (population wise) in Ocean County comprised of over 92,000 year round residents and 25 square miles of land. Lakewood borders Toms River, Brick Township, Howell, and Jackson Township and is easily accessible from Route 9, County Line Road, and Route 70. Lakewood is home to a rich history and is the hometown of many professional athletes. First Energy Park, home of the Lakewood BlueClaws, is also located in Lakewood and provides endless hours of family fun. Due to Lakewood's dense population, police activity is very prevalent. In 2010 alone, Lakewood saw an estimated 503 disorderly persons charges written.

A disorderly persons offense is a general category of offenses general written to deter certain behaviors in order to control a tense situation. Some of the most common 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). Disorderly persons offenses in Lakewood can have serious repercussions. If convicted of a disorderly persons offense, you could face fines, jail time, payments of restitution and community service.

In addition to disorderly persons offenses, Lakewood saw an estimated 4,654 motor vehicle violations and almost 180 DWI, DUI or refusal related offenses. Some common motor vehicle violations can 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). DWI, DUI, or refusal charges can also have serious consequences including possible loss of license, numerous fines and penalties, jail time, completion of a program at an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center, and the possible installation of an ignition interlock device.

Continue reading "Lakewood Criminal Lawyer: Lakewood Municipal Court" »