As the fall approaches and departments begin contemplating new schedules, we begin getting requests for information on the Pitman Schedule.  The Pitman Schedule is the fastest growing schedule in law enforcement, especially in New Jersey.   We put together a piece dissecting and outlining the pro's and the con's which can be accessed by clicking the following link: Pitman Schedule.

Drug arrests are one of the goals of all proactive street officers.  One of the best resources for these officers is the New Jersey Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association. 

The organization is made of similar minded law enforcement officers from all backgrounds and agencies.  They holding training forums several times a year and an annual conference.  It's a great way to learn, network, and plug yourself in to what is going on around the state.

For more information, visit their website.

Thursday, July 1, 2010
Fireworks - What to Charge
NJLawman.com

We post this every year and get complaints when we forget. For New Jersey officers, July brings the annual question when making arrests for fireworks: "Where is the fireworks charge in the 2C book?"  Well, it's not under 2C.

Chapter 21 covers explosives and fireworks. You'll find a plethora of statutes in this chapter covering everything from smoking in a facility that manufacturers fireworks to rules regulating the public display of fireworks. The statute most relevant to the line officer will be 21:3-2. Sale, Possession, or Use of, Fireworks which reads as follows:

It shall be unlawful for any person to offer for sale, expose for sale, sell, possess or use, or explode any blank cartridge, toy pistol, toy cannon, toy cane or toy gun in which explosives are used; the type of balloon which requires fire underneath to propel the same; firecrackers; torpedoes; skyrockets, Roman candles, bombs, sparklers or other fireworks of like construction, or any fireworks containing any explosive or inflammable compound or any tablets or other device commonly used and sold as fireworks containing nitrates, chlorates, oxalates, sulphides of lead, barium, antimony, arsenic, mercury, nitroglycerine, phosphorus or any compound containing any of the same or other explosives, or any substance or combination of substances, or article prepared for the purpose of producing a visible or an audible effect by combustion, explosion, deflagration or detonation, other than aviation and railroad signal light flares, except (a) that it shall be lawful for any person to offer for sale, expose for sale, sell, possess or use, or explode any toy pistol, toy cane, toy gun, or other device in which paper or plastic caps containing .25 grain or less of explosive compound per cap are used, providing they are so constructed that the hand cannot come in contact with the cap when in place for use, and toy pistol paper or plastic caps which contain less than .20 grain of explosive mixture per cap and (b) as in this chapter further provided.

The statute also contains exceptions and other important information, so be sure to read the actual law and consult your only agencies rules before filing any charges.

Thursday, March 18, 2010
Reviewing New Jersey Statute of Limitations
NJLawman.com

They're hard to find when you need them, but rest assured, they are in the 2C book under 2C:1-6.  Always an interesting read.

2C:1-6 Time limitations.

a.     (1) A prosecution for any offense set forth in N.J.S.2C:11-3, N.J.S.2C:11-4, N.J.S.2C:14-2 or sections 1 through 5 of P.L.2002, c.26 (C.2C:38-1 through C.2C:38-5) may be commenced at any time.

    (2) A prosecution for any offense set forth in N.J.S.2C:17-2, section 9 of P.L.1970, c.39 (C.13:1E-9), section 20 of P.L.1989, c.34 (C.13:1E-48.20), section 19 of P.L.1954, c.212 (C.26:2C-19), section 10 of P.L.1984, c.173 (C.34:5A-41), or section 10 of P.L.1977, c.74 (C.58:10A-10) may be commenced at any time.

b. Except as otherwise provided in this section, prosecutions for other offenses are subject to the following periods of limitations:

    (1) A prosecution for a crime must be commenced within five years after it is committed;

    (2) A prosecution for a disorderly persons offense or petty disorderly persons offense must be commenced within one year after it is committed;

    (3) A prosecution for any offense set forth in N.J.S.2C:27-2, N.J.S.2C:27-4, N.J.S.2C:27-6, N.J.S.2C:27-7, N.J.S.2C:29-4, N.J.S.2C:30-2, N.J.S.2C:30-3, or any attempt or conspiracy to commit such an offense, must be commenced within seven years after the commission of the offense;

    (4) A prosecution for an offense set forth in N.J.S.2C:14-3 or N.J.S.2C:24-4, when the victim at the time of the offense is below the age of 18 years, must be commenced within five years of the victim's attaining the age of 18 or within two years of the discovery of the offense by the victim, whichever is later;

    (5) (Deleted by amendment, P.L.2007, c.131).

c. An offense is committed either when every element occurs or, if a legislative purpose to prohibit a continuing course of conduct plainly appears, at the time when the course of conduct or the defendant's complicity therein is terminated. Time starts to run on the day after the offense is committed, except that when the prosecution is supported by physical evidence that identifies the actor by means of DNA testing or fingerprint analysis, time does not start to run until the State is in possession of both the physical evidence and the DNA or fingerprint evidence necessary to establish the identification of the actor by means of comparison to the physical evidence.

d. A prosecution is commenced for a crime when an indictment is found and for a nonindictable offense when a warrant or other process is issued, provided that such warrant or process is executed without unreasonable delay. Nothing contained in this section, however, shall be deemed to prohibit the downgrading of an offense at any time if the prosecution of the greater offense was commenced within the statute of limitations applicable to the greater offense.

e. The period of limitation does not run during any time when a prosecution against the accused for the same conduct is pending in this State.

f. The limitations in this section shall not apply to any person fleeing from justice.

g. Except as otherwise provided in this code, no civil action shall be brought pursuant to this code more than five years after such action accrues.

Amended 1979, c.178, s.5; 1980, c.105, s.1; 1986, c.166; 1988, c.68; 1989, c.228, s.1; 1994, c.53; 1996, c.22; 1997, c.325, s.1; 2001, c.308; 2002, c.26, s.7; 2007, c.131.

Sunday, September 20, 2009
The 14 Domestic Violence Offenses
NJLawman.com

Monday, August 31, 2009
Training - Cuff Key
NJLawman.com

It's an old street-cop trick to keep an extra cuff key secreted somewhere on the uniform.  But, have you ever tried to use it?

There are two considerations here.  First, if you were ever taken and cuffed, is your key in a location where you would be able to access it?  How about if you were cuffed from behind?

Second, if cuffed, are you able to physically open the cuffs using the key?

In front, it is not so difficult.  From behind, you will need some practice.

This is an incredibly important concept that is really the cornerstone of preparing for a deadly encounter.  We first printed this back in the early days of the site, and we repost it every two years or so to keep it fresh.

In the Calibre Press book, The Tactical Edge, they created a systematic view of an officer's mental condition on a given day ranging from patrolling around without a care in the world to sheer panic.  Take a look:

CONDITION WHITE- This is a state of unawareness, you are totally relaxed and unaware what is going on around you.

CONDITION YELLOW- A person is relaxed but at the same time is alert.

CONDITION ORANGE- An officer in Condition Orange is in a state of alarm. His training, education, common sense, tells him that something is not right. He doesn’t know what the problem is but he is constantly evaluating the situation and is planning a course of action.

CONDITION RED- In Condition Red danger is obvious. Threat recognition is mandatory. You see the threat and then you act upon it using verbal commands, physical force, or deadly force. You are totally committed to neutralizing the threat in a controlled manner.

CONDITION BLACK- An officer in condition Black has completely lost control of the situation. He is in a state of panic, or mental paralysis.

This is just so right on target. 

The only area we would add to is Condition Black. 

Another symptom of Condition Black is when an officer loses control of himself.  He begins screaming at suspects and is clearly not in control of himself.  Every human being is susceptible to this.  It is important to recognize because this will be the guy who may do something inappropriate.  This is also the guy who may get you indicted.  If you spot this, save him from himself, and help him disengage from the situation.

There is nothing we can say that is not covered in this video...

Sunday, May 17, 2009
The Policeman
NJLawman.com

This is just a great find.  For those not familiar with Paul Harvey, he was a radio broadcaster who died earlier this year.  Harvey was mostly know for his The Rest of the Story segments.

In this piece, Harvey discussed policeman. 

Thanks to DHH for sending this to us.

Sunday, March 1, 2009
Hidden Weapons
NJLawman.com

Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Police Officer Rating Website
NJLawman.com

Yet another site which will undoubtedly warehouse defamatory information about police officers has launched in cyberspace.  Ratemycop.com is a database of just about every police department in the country.  While still under construction, site owners are in the process of entering every officer for each department by name.  Visitors can rate the individual officers by different criteria and even leave comments.