Attorney General Makes Statewide Changes to Handling of Police Misconduct

Posted on May 17, 2011 by dave

Under new policies, police departments across the state of New Jersey will be more closely scrutinized in their handlings of misconduct allegations. The public may also see more in the way of internal investigation results and there will be closer tabs kept on such cases overall. Attorney General Paula Dow announced the policy changes a week ago, much to the approval of the NJ ACLU. Continue reading →

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US DOJ Announces Official Investigation into Newark Police Department

Posted on May 12, 2011 by dave

After months of interviewing officers, brass, city hall officials, and union representatives, the Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the Newark Police Department. This comes eight months after the ACLU alleged civil rights abuses by the department, particularly in their handling of misconduct among officers. Continue reading →

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Trenton Mother and Toddler Shot in Drive-By, No Witnesses Speak Up

Posted on May 3, 2011 by dave

A young mother who was leaving a corner store with her three year old daughter in her arms was shot this week. But despite reports of many witnesses being out when the shooting happened, no one was willing to give any information to police on the scene. Both the mother and daughter survived but the story is still a tragic one, and only one of many in recent years. Continue reading →

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Newark Murders Soar After Mass Police Layoffs

Posted on April 27, 2011 by dave

The Star-Ledger reported this week that the last three shooting deaths in Newark pushed the homicide total for 2011 to 29 so far, a leap of 71% from last year at this time, something they are connecting to police layoffs. They also point to rising shootings and thefts, attributing all of these to a shortage of police officers. Continue reading →

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Judge Makes Example of Police Dispatcher in Official Misconduct Case

Posted on April 8, 2011 by dave

A former Dover police dispatcher faced serious charges and was left with a four year prison sentence and no question about the judge’s desire to make an example of him. The thirty-nine year old man worked for the department for six years, during which time he was accused of several offenses. He pled guilty to one. Continue reading →

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Veto Signals Coming Parole Reforms

Posted on April 4, 2011 by dave

Last week Governor Christie vetoed a measure that would’ve changed the mandatory release practices of inmates. His veto reinstated the parole board’s discretion in who should be released, allowing a return to common sense parole practices rather than mandatory releases. Continue reading →

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NJ Weedman Case in Court

Posted on March 24, 2011 by dave

The Weedman is back in New Jersey to challenge the states marijuana laws, and try to keep himself out of jail. He faces charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, after a car stop in April 2010. Continue reading →

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Courier Post Online – Don’t Penalize Sexting Victims

Posted on March 23, 2011 by dave

A very nice editorial in the CourierPostOnline about the sexting reform efforts in New Jersey. Well said, and worth a read.

A lot of the kids in these cases are not criminals, and many indeed are victims. The law should be flexible enough so that judges can decide how the laws are applied, who is a victim, who made a dumb, but not felonious mistake, and who are the actually dangerous criminal sexual predators.

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Good News For Camden Cops

Posted on March 21, 2011 by dave

In January we reported that the city of Camden was forced to lay off close to 200 police officers due to budget shortages. Well, 50 of those officers got some good news this past week when it was announced they would be hired back. Continue reading →

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NJ Lawmakers Seek to Ban “Bath Salts”

Posted on March 18, 2011 by dave

In a wave of legislation crossing the country, New Jersey might be the next state to ban what’s commonly sold as “bath salts” but is described as some to be a synthetic drug more dangerous than methamphetamines. Both the state Senate and Assembly are drafting bills to make this ban a reality. Continue reading →

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