New Jersey Now Requires All Police Departments to Have Dashboard, or Dash-Cam MVR Tapes Installed in All Patrol Vehicles

Prepared for the People as a Pubic Service from the Law Office of Vincent J. Sanzone, Jr., Esq.

September 11, 2014, finally Governor Christi signed the Dash-Cam law which will require all New Jersey police departments to install these devices in their patrol vehicles.  These dash-cams, or also known as MVR video recording devices, will video tape everything in front of the patrol vehicle when activated. 

This new law is good news for anyone who is stopped by a police officer, since the video will now video all activity from the vantage point of the patrol vehicle front windshield.  Normally, the device is set up to record back 30-seconds, prior to the activation of the device.  The device continues to record until manually turned off, or the siren or overhead lights are turned off.  Normally, by default, the dash-cam will activate once the overhead and/or siren is activated.  However, the MVR tape can be activated manually, and can also be turned off manually.

Hopefully the new law will prevent police departments and its officers from falsely claiming that the video was not working or not installed in the particular patrol vehicle.  Most often aggressive and dishonest police officers will patrol in patrol vehicles without dash-cam devices for the purpose of making unlawful DWI stops and arrests, claiming that the motorist committed a moving violation and than failed field sobriety tests.  Further, if the sobriety field tests are done in view of the cameras, it might help eliminate perjured police testimony when the officer falsely claiming that the motorist failed the sobriety field tests, when in fact the motorists passed.  Further, the law will now allow a jury to objectively view the dash-cam tape to refute or confirm a police officers allegation that the suspect motorist engaged in eluding of the officers during an automobile stop.

For years most police departments in New Jersey have fought fiercely not to have these devices in their vehicles.  Newark, Jersey City and Elizabeth, to name a few, have refused to install such devices, and none of their patrol vehicles have any of these devices in patrol vehicles.  Further, these MVR tapes will help eliminate police beatings and other abuses of errant police officers, because a patrolman driving a patrol vehicle with such a device will think twice before he commits these types of illegal activities on a motorist. 

Of course some errant and dishonest police officers will find away around this new law by turning off the device, claiming it was inoperable, destroying the tape, or manually turning the device to the side, so that it does not depict the interaction between the motorist and police officer.  Another trick that the dishonest cop will use, which I have seen multiple times with field sobriety tests, the dishonest police officer will move the suspect outside the view of the tape, in which case, the motorist cannot prove that the officer is lying and that he/she passed the field sobriety tests.  Further, if the dishonest police officer wants to engage in an illegal search or beating of the motorist he will move the suspect out of range of the camera, since the cameras view depicts only what transpires in front of the patrol vehicle.  Of course, the dishonest cop (which has occurred repeatedly in many municipal court and superior court cases) will tell the judge and/or jury that they moved the suspect outside the view of the camera for his or the motorists safety, but of course that story is likewise bogus, because the officer can pull his vehicle behind the motorists vehicle in such a way as to give a wide shoulder view of road in which the tests will ultimately be performed.

Lastly, the new law will only be applied to every new or used or leased police vehicle or otherwise acquired on or after the effective date (of this bill) which is primarily used for traffic stops shall be equipped with a mobile video recording system.

Law Office of Vincent J. Sanzone, Jr.

CriminalDefenseNJ.com

Elizabeth, N.J.

Tel. No. (908) 354-7006

Dated: September 11, 2014

Union Essex, Hudson, Morris, Bergen, Middlesex, Ocean, Monmouth, County Criminal Defense Attorney, Jersey City, Newark, Elizabeth, New Brunswick, Eluding, Carjacking, Drugs, Guns, Weapons, Assault

Arrested on the Beach-Sandy Hook, National Parks, and Gateway National Parks of Sandy Hook, Highlands, New Jersey

Prepared as a Public Service to the People by the Law Office of Vincent J. Sanzone, Jr., Esq.

Summer is approaching and the ferry service from New York City to Sandy Hook Federal National Park is approaching with thousands of visitors from New York arriving every weekend.

Many visitors, however, are unaware, that this federal beach is patrolled by the National Park Police and that this law enforcement agency has a zero tolerance for inappropriate and illegal conduct.  This is especially true for visitors of Gunnison Beach (“the nude beach”).  Although the park service has permitted this clothing optional beach for decades, going back to when Sandy Hook was a federal army base, the park police will not tolerate public lewd conduct (36 C.R.R. 7.29c), the possession and use of illegal substances such as marijuana and other illegal substances, sexual contact and other disorderly person’s offenses. 

In the event that you have been arrested on this federal national park you will be prosecuted in the Federal District Court, located in Newark, New Jersey.  The attorneys representing the government will be assistant United States Attorneys, who are experienced in prosecuting these types of crimes or disorderly person’s offenses.  If the case is classified as a disorderly person or misdemeanor case it will be heard before the magistrate judge who is assigned part-time to handle all of these cases.

The Law Office of Vincent J. Sanzone, Jr., has 24-years of experience in representing people accused of disorderly persons offenses and federal misdemeanor offense in this federal park.  In many of those cases Attorney Sanzone has been able to get the cases dismissed outright for lack of evidence, or successfully convinced the assistant United States Attorney to allow the offender to be admitted into the federal diversionary program, in which case the offender, would have no criminal record after successfully completing the program.

These types of cases, especially, the public lewdness cases pursuant to 36 CFR 7.29 are difficult and if arrested for this charge you are urged to contact an experienced attorney in this area of criminal practice. 

Some Sandy Hook Results:

United States v. M.C., Dismissal of lewdness charge.

United States v. S.Z., Charged with Marijuana possession. Order of Dismissal entered after successful completion of Pretrial Diversion Program, under Rule 48(a).

United States vs. V.A. Charged with Lewdness. Order of Dismissal entered after successful completion of Pretrial Diversion Program, under Rule 48(a).

Law Office of Vincent J. Sanzone, Jr.

P.O. Box 261

277 North Broad Street

Raymond Building

Elizabeth, N.J. 07207

Office Phone: (908) 354-7006

Cell Phone:   (201) 240-5716

Sandy Hook Lawyers, Sandy Hook NJ Attorneys, New Jersey Sandy Hook Criminal Attorneys

The City of Elizabeth New Jersey and Criminal Law

Prepared as a Public Service by the Law Office of Vincent J. Sanzone, Jr., Esq.

The City of Elizabeth (Union County)New Jersey according to the 2012 census had a documented population of 126,458 people.  Because of the large population of undocumented and illegal residences the City of Elizabeth population is likely doubled that amount to a population of a quarter-million.

The city is the home of many immigrants from South and Central American countries including the largest being from Columbia.

The City of Elizabeth is has it share of street crimes ranging from homicides, drive-by-shootings, to petty thefts and burglaries. 

Because the City of Elizabeth is known for its high-end and glamorous Latin night clubs the City of Elizabeth attracts young Hispanic men and women from throughout the New Jersey and New York Metropolitan areas.

With this large influx of young party people brings also its share of crimes, which range from assault, date-rape, controlled dangerous substances charges (CDS), sexual assault, DWI, DUI, eluding, fighting, disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, hindering apprehension and other disorderly persons or felonies.

The police in the City of Elizabeth are also known for being aggressive and are known to not deescalate but escalate every encounter.  Further, unlike most major cities off-duty Elizabeth police officers moon-lite in the cities nightclubs, which cause additional problems when an argument ensues between a club bouncer and a patron.  In most cases if the bouncer starts to beat a patron, the off-duty officer will take the bouncers side or simple join in the beating.  Therefore, typically, in the City of Elizabeth, when a fight starts and the police are summoned, be prepared for a resisting arrest, or assault on an officer charge. 

If you have been caught-up in a party night in the City of Elizabeth which has lead to your arrest call the Law Office of Vincent J. Sanzone, Jr., it might be the best decision you make.

Law Office of Vincent J. Sanzone, Jr.
P.O. Box 261

277 North Broad Street

Elizabeth, N.J. 07207

Office:   (908) 354-7006

Cell:     (201) 240-5716 (24/7 emergencies)

Quote of the Day: “There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law in the name of justice.”  Charles De Montesquieu

Belleville New Jersey Cops Acted With Excessive Force in Firing 30 Shots at Dante Cespedes for Allegedly Lunging with Knifes

In what appears to be another insistence of excessive force and poorly trained police officers, three Belleville Township police officers gunned down a man with a knife.  The police officers allege that the Cespedes a chef at a New York City hotel lunged at them with two knifes, when they entered the house to execute an arrest based on a municipal court complaint by his wife.

The question is why did they fire 30 rounds of bullets at Cespedes at close range, in which 24 rounds were pumped into his body?  Why didn’t the three police officers attempt to disarm him and dislodge the weapon first with a night stick, by hitting his arms or hand with the night stick or mental flash light?  Why didn’t they attempt to stop him by firing non-lethal shots to the legs or arms?  Why did they find it necessary to pump 30 bullets into his body and in essence execute this man on the spot?  Why didn’t they first attempt to retreat before they decided to use deadly force?   Why didn’t they attempt to teaser him or mace him first?  Why did they enter the house knowing he was armed without first ordering him to throw down the knifes and come out peacefully?   Did the police even have the authority to enter the home based on a disorderly person’s complaint filed by his wife?  This is of great significance because no one was at the home but Mr. Cespedes, and there appeared to be no emergency for them to enter the house.  Further, if the wife had informed the police that her husband was intoxicated why were the officers not prepared to deal with an intoxicated individual, bring to the scene non-lethal disarming devices?  It appears from the evidence presented thus far that they acted with deliberate indifference and excessive force.   

There are many questions that must be honestly investigated and answered by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office in this case before these three police officers should continue to hold a badge and firearm.  Unfortunately, the evidence presented thus far shows that these three police officers were trigger happy and not competent to carry a deadly firearm.

And up-date to this blog on December 11, 2013 the Star Ledger published that the wife of the slain victim Dante Cespedes filed a wrongful death suit against the Belleville Police Department and police officers, Angelo Quinn, Charles Mollineaux, Matthew Dox and Jack Baumgartner.  The law suit claims that Quinn and Molineaux each fired 14 times, while Dox fired twice.
It is amazing that 30 shots were fired at this distraught man, with no indictments of the cops.  

Law Office of Vincent J. Sanzone, Jr.

CriminalDefenseNJ.com