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!" »

Sea Bright Borough is a small beachfront community comprised of just 1 square mile in northern Monmouth County. With just over 1,800 residents, Sea Bright has 7 private, member only beach clubs and 1 large municipal beach in the center of town. Shrewsbury, Highlands, and Sandy Hook are all close by and provide additional shops and restaurants for residents and visitors. Nearly surrounded by water, Sea Bright is a beautiful place to visit and often attracts summer renters. Sea Bright sees quite a bit of traffic during the summer due to its placement along busy Route 36. Donovan's Reef and the Mad Hatter are two very popular nighttime hotspots in Sea Bright and can get quite crowded during the busy summer months.

Despite its size, Sea Bright Borough Police Officers wrote an estimated 106 disorderly persons offenses in 2010. A disorderly persons offense is written to deter certain undesirable behavior and a conviction can carry fines, jail-time, and in some cases, community service. Commonly written disorderly persons charges in Sea Bright 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).

Mainly due to its position along Route 36, Sea Bright saw an estimated 510 motor vehicle violations in 2010. A conviction for a motor vehicle violation in Sea Bright can include fines, license suspension, and points assessed to your driver's license by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. 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). In addition to motor vehicle violations, Sea Bright saw an estimated 144 DWI, DUI, and refusal charges in 2010. A drunk driving conviction can be serious and can lead to fines, loss of license, jail-time, participation in an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center program, and the possible installation of an ignition interlock device in your motor vehicle.

Continue reading "Sea Bright Criminal Lawyer: Sea Bright Municipal Court" »