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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!" »

Mantoloking is a small beachfront community in Ocean County comprised of just 0.7 square miles. Mantoloking's year-round population is just around 200 people, which dramatically expands to almost 5,000 during the summer. Home to many New England style homes, Mantoloking is considered to be one of the richest municipalities in New Jersey. Situated just south of Bay Head, Mantoloking lies along the Route 35 corridor with access to Brick Township via the Mantoloking Bridge. Many residents and renters enjoy the convenience of being nearly halfway between Point Pleasant Beach and Seaside Heights during the summer months. Due to its central location, Mantoloking sees its fare share of criminal, disorderly persons, and motor vehicle violations.

In 2010, Mantoloking saw a number of disorderly persons charges written by police officers. A disorderly persons offense is a general category of offenses that are often written to control, arrest, and deter certain behavior. If convicted of a disorderly persons offense an individual could face jail-time, fines, community service, and possible payments of restitution. Some common disorderly persons offenses written in Mantoloking 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).

Largely due to the fact that Mantoloking sits along the Route 35 corridor, it has also seen its share of DWI, DUI, refusal, and motor vehicle violations. Mantoloking Police Officers wrote an estimated 20 drunk driving or driving while intoxicated charges as well as almost 290 motor vehicle violations in 2010. DWI, DUI, and refusal charges are very serious and a conviction can result in jail-time, loss of license, heavy fines and other penalties, completion of a program at an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center, and the possible installation of an ignition interlock device. Motor vehicle violations, while not as serious, can still result in license suspension, points assessed on your driver's license by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, and fines. 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).

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