By Press Release
TRENTON – Leading the country’s
efforts to protect civilians as well as law enforcement officers by equipping
video cameras in police vehicles and on officers, last week landmark
legislation introduced by Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D-4th) and Sen. Donald
Norcross (D-5th) was signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie. Moriarty took up
the issue after he was subject to a false arrest and the camera in the police
vehicle substantiated his claims.
“As recent controversies have
shown, it helps to have video footage to back up claims of excessive force and
abuse of authority against civilians. Conversely, there are many good officers
who have been wrongly accused of impropriety and this measure is designed to
ensure their protection as well,” stated Moriarty, chairman, Assembly Consumer
Affairs Committee, in a release.
Moriarty was charged with
drunken driving and other charges in July 2012 in Washington Township, but
Moriarty told police he had nothing to drink that day.
Dashboard camera video from the
officer’s car showed Moriarty did not cut off the officer, as the officer
claimed, and showed Moriarty passing sobriety tests without problem. The
charges against Moriarty were dismissed in early May, and the officer who filed
the allegations has now been indicted on 14 criminal counts accusing him of
making a false arrest and lying to support his claims.
“While the tragedy that
occurred in Ferguson, Missouri is still being probed, it’s hard to comprehend
why more states aren’t following our lead," stated Norcross, chairman of
the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee, who co-prime sponsored the law with
Moriarty.
“There’s the case of a former
official who tried to use his position of authority to get out of a speeding
ticket and accused the responding Trooper of being unprofessional. The
dashboard cam backed up that officer. Law enforcers who abide by the law and
don’t abuse their authority should appreciate this technology,” Norcross added.
Norcross also pointed to a
national petition on the police camera issue which garnered 154,463 online
signatures since it was created on August 13th in the wake of the Michael Brown
shooting tragedy in Missouri. (Source: petitions.whitehouse.gov)
The key new provision of the
law is that: "every new or used municipal vehicle purchased, leased, 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. As used in this section “mobile video recording system” means
a device or system installed or used in a police vehicle or worn or otherwise
used by an officer that electronically records visual images depicting
activities that take place during a motor vehicle stop or other law enforcement
action.”
The bill provides funding for
departments to pay for the equipment by increasing the surcharge imposed on
people convicted of driving while intoxicated from $100 to $125 and directing
the additional $25 to the department that issues the summons for that purpose.
