Newark Police Department after Stalling for Years Finally Agrees Install Dashboard Cameras in Some of its Patrol Cars.

After years of stalling the Newark Police Department (NPD) has finally agreed to place dashboard cameras (or as commonly known, MVR’s), mobile vehicle recording cameras in some of its 400 police cruisers.  According to the police only 52 police cruisers have been installed with the cameras manufactured by Safety Visions.  Along with the dashboard cameras this system provides body microphones worn by the police officers to record the conversation of the officer and the person he or she is questioning.

This criminal defense and civil rights attorney has for years has called for the Newark Police Department to install these cameras on all of its patrol vehicles. 

For years some corrupt and abusive NPD police officers have abused the public at will. Because the NPD internal affairs was a joke, these corrupt and errant police officers would engage in dishonest acts with impunity, and in effect with the tacit approval of the various police directors and brass of the department.  It has been my experience in practicing criminal defense and civil rights law in New Jersey for 21 years that in the vast majority of cases the MVR cameras actually exonerate many criminal defendants, and catches the cops red handed violating citizens rights, by catching the cops engaged in excessive force, the illegal searches of vehicles, the filing of false police reports which in direct contrast to what really happened as captured on the video and audio microphone.

Some abusive police officers have come up with various ways to dismantle the cameras and body microphones.  Such tricks can range from simply shutting the devices off, turning the cameras away from the vehicle in which they are stopping, erasing or losing the tapes.  With DWI arrests, when they order the motorist to perform the roadside sobriety tests they will routinely walk the suspected DWI motorist outside the view of the camera.  In fact in 90% of the time that is precisely what they do, thus it is impossible for defense counsel to dispute whether the officer had probable cause to arrest the DWI suspect based on the field sobriety tests.

Sadly the NPD has decided to install these dashboard cameras in only a small portion of their police vehicles. Accordingly, because of the small number of cameras installed (7.69%) percent of the vehicles this will have a negligible effect on stopping the illegal conduct carried out everyday by some corrupt and dishonest members of the NPD.

If the NPD is really serious about protecting the public against abusive and dishonest police officers in Newark they must install the cameras and body microphones in ever vehicle on patrol in the City of Newark.   

There is no doubt in my mind that because the United States Justice Department is now investigated the NDP that Newark has decided to install these cameras, and that without this investigation they would never been installed.

Law Office Vincent J. Sanzone, Jr., Esq.

CriminalDefenseNJ.com

Tel. No. (908) 354-7006

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Dated: March 21, 2012

The Necessity of the Immediate Investigation of the Alleged Crime Scene by Criminal Defense Lawyer before any Surveillance Video is Destroyed.

In many of my previous blogs I have written about the early investigation of the alleged crime scene.  This immediate investigation is even more important in recent years with the proliferation of surveillance videos, both official and private surveillance cameras. 

Recently I spoke about a case in which one of my client’s was falsely accused of sexual assault on the sidewalk of an Elizabeth Street, not far from a city police surveillance video camera.  The charges of sexual assault were dropped by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office when an examination of the alleged site, by me, in which the assault allegedly occurred, revealed a police video camera, not far from the alleged assault.  Upon this discovery a notice to the police to perverse the video, and their failure to do so, resulted in all charges being dropped. 

On June 17, 2011 it was reported that a narcotics detective, Payano, assigned to undercover detective work in the Bronx, New York, was charged with perjury in claiming to have witness a hand-to-hand narcotics transaction which never occurred.  The dishonest cop was exposed when the defense attorney brought to the attention of the Bronx D.A., evidence from the private surveillance camera that the detective had lied about what he alleged so, in fact, he was not even at the scene.  As a result all of the criminal charges had been dropped by the Bronx D.A., and the dishonest detective was indicted in a 64 count indictment for preparing a false police report and perjury.

Law Office of Vincent J. Sanzone, Jr., Esq.

CriminalDefenseNJ.com

Elizabeth, N.J.

(908) 354-7006

Dated: June 21, 2011