Raritan 911: Robocop

shrpshtr325

Infinite Source of Sarcasm
Team MTBNJ Halter's
The LED or HID bulbs in the halogen reflectors is far more annoying. It sears my retinas.


is this still a ticketable offense? i would LOVE for people to start cracking down on this as it not only blinds oncoming traffic but reduces the area you can see as a driver of the ill-equipped vehicle too.


on a side note, they are trying to make retrofit LED bulbs for halogen housings, my experience with them is that they dont throw light the way they need to (at least not yet)
 

Carson

Sport Bacon
Team MTBNJ Halter's
is this still a ticketable offense? i would LOVE for people to start cracking down on this as it not only blinds oncoming traffic but reduces the area you can see as a driver of the ill-equipped vehicle too.


on a side note, they are trying to make retrofit LED bulbs for halogen housings, my experience with them is that they dont throw light the way they need to (at least not yet)

Of course. Unapproved equipment. 39:3-77. And if you want to be a dick about it, possibly unsafe vehicle under 39:3-44 and altering to defeat inspection under 39:3-47, which gives me the authority to tow your shit OFF MY HIGHWAY.
 

rlb

Well-Known Member
@Carson do the flashing brake lights fall under 39:3-77? I get their purpose, but I saw one this morning with a super annoying pattern and it got me thinking whether or not they're DOT approved.
 

Carson

Sport Bacon
Team MTBNJ Halter's
39:3-52 was revised to allow flashing rear brake lights. Techinically, they are supposed to flash 3 times then go steady burn. But no one GAF.

1. R.S.39:3-52 is amended to read as follows:8 Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two side9 cowl or fender lamps which shall emit a white or yellow light without10 glare. Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than one11 running board courtesy lamp on each side thereof which shall emit a12 white or yellow light without glare. Any motor vehicle may be13 equipped with a back-up lamp either separately or in combination with14 another lamp; except that no such back-up lamp shall be continuously15 lighted when the motor vehicle is in forward motion. Any motor16 vehicle may be equipped with a stop lamp which flashes three times in17 rapid succession when brakes are applied.18 (cf: R.S.39:3-52 )

Senate Bill S490, sponsored by Ciesla in 2000. Send him a note on how you feel about it? :)
 

MissJR

not in the mood for your shenanigans
Team MTBNJ Halter's
do you remember all this stuff off the top of your head or do you just google it?
 

shrpshtr325

Infinite Source of Sarcasm
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Of course. Unapproved equipment. 39:3-77. And if you want to be a dick about it, possibly unsafe vehicle under 39:3-44 and altering to defeat inspection under 39:3-47, which gives me the authority to tow your shit OFF MY HIGHWAY.


too bad more cops dont enforce it, it needs to be i bet these idiots would stop the half assed disfunctional 'mods' if it was costing them more money. (not like its hard to tell by looking at the cars)
 

Carson

Sport Bacon
Team MTBNJ Halter's
do you remember all this stuff off the top of your head or do you just google it?

Most stuff I know; at least the stuff I use regularly. Some stuff I know what statute to look up to refresh my memory.

For instance I knew 39:3-52 was revised but had to look up the specific wording.
 

Carson

Sport Bacon
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Fuck the Red Cross

Special appearances by @Robin and Lance.

This past week, our Squad worked dayshift (0700-1900) Thursday, Friday, Saturday. So at about 5pm on Saturday, mentally, I started crossing my fingers that we get the hell out of there on time.

So, of course, at about 5:01pm, a young officer gets dispatched to a residential burlgary that was just discovered by the homeowner in the far north section of our town near the Clinton Township border. My Sergeant signs on and responds to the burglary with him. At about 5:02pm, Millennial officer (MO) gets dispatched to Shop-Rite for a shoplifter in the store. For good reason, policy dictates that we send two officers to burglaries and to shoplifters, so I respond to Shop-Rite with MO.

I've been doing this long enough to start picturing the scene to which I'm responding. Someone either hiding product in a bag or purse or someone eating food off the shelves. While the statute specifically states that those two fact patterns constitute shoplifting, it usually turns into a debate that they were actually going to pay for the items in question when they were done shopping. Right. Generally, management will allow the subject to pay for the items in lieu of arrest and advise them that they are not allowed to shop in the store anymore. So, I'm still hopeful that we can resolve the situation quickly.

While responding, dispatch tells us that the subject has been drinking cooking wine off the shelf and is now stumbling towards the exit, ignoring Loss Prevention's detention request. Ok, wonderful. Another radio update told us that the subject, a female, has now collapsed outside the store. Yay!

MO arrived on scene and I was still a few miles away, in traffic, in the rain. I kick on my lights just in case MO starts tussling with the subject. I hear no further radio traffic from MO. Usually that's good. But it could be bad.

I arrived and found MO standing near the stack of shopping carts near the entrance. Next to him are the store manager and loss prevention officer (LPO), both of whom I recognize.

I walk up to the three and find our subject crumpled into a ball between two rows of shopping carts. I make a quick assessment: she is breathing; she probably has a CPAP at home; she approximates the shape of a bowling ball; I can see vomit; I can smell shit.

MO is in conversation with the manager and LPO about what they saw, what she drank, what she may have stolen, etc, etc, etc. NONE of which I give a shit about yet. I mean, they are legitimate investigatory questions that need to be asked, BUT NOT WHY THE BOWLING BALL (BB) CHOKES ON HER VOMIT IN FRONT OF US. MO needs a little extra guidance, even compared to other MOs, and I usually go into teaching mode with him. Two exceptions: when his actions put officers at risk (poor tactical decisions) and when his actions (or lack of action) put others at risk.

So I interrupted MO's thorough investigation into the theft of $3 cooking wine.

Me: Did you call an ambulance?
MO: No, not yet.
Me: Why?
MO: Well, she's under arrest so...
Me: The fuck she is...she's going to the hospital. She's magically unarrested.
MO: Well, she shoplifted so...
Me: Yup but she's also intoxicated to the point of incapacitation, so how the hell do you plan on arresting her? Photographing her? Fingerprinting her?
MO: I hadn't thought about that.
Me: Do you see the vomit?
MO: Ugh, yeah a little.
Me: Do you smell shit?
MO: No.
Me: Go smell her.
MO: What?
Me: Go. Go smell her.
MO: Um, ok.
(MO walks over to her then gags a little)
Me: So you ready to call an ambulance?
MO: Definitely.
(MO radioed for EMS to respond for an intoxicated female)
Me: How about this. I'll babysit her until EMS arrives. You go inside with the LPO, conduct your investigation, watch the surveillance video, and gather your evidence.
MO: Ok that would be great.

MO goes inside for the Great Cooking Wine Caper of 2018. I stand outside with BB. Upwind.

An off-duty EMT stopped by and asked if I needed any help. I looked at him and said, "You don't want any part of this." I think the look on my face said it all, because he only responded with "Ok, thank you" before walking away.

EMS arrived, I briefed them, told them that she is NOT under arrest (which keeps us from having to follow them to the hospital and babysit her at the hospital during treatment). I also warn them of the puke and poop.

As EMS was loading her up for transport, MO came back outside with some empty cooking wine bottles and a bag of cosmetics with which she had been walking around. While I talked with MO, maybe even lectured him, @Robin and Lance walked by. I break character to at least say hello and waive. Then back to the admonishment. I explain that this is a disorderly persons (misdemeanor) shoplifting and that we can arrest and process her on Wednesday when we come back to work and she is sober. He seems to understand, liked my thought process, and explained that we have no receipt in the bag of cosmetics and they aren't sold at Shop-Rite.

The LPO was a big help. BB apparently shops tipsy quite a bit, so they know her by sight. She never drives (no driver's license), so she takes the Link (Hunterdon County public transportation bus) or Uber to and from the store. So, we had good reason to believe that the cosmetics were stolen from a store within walking distance from Shop-Rite.

After some checking, we learned that the cosmetics were stolen from Ulta Beauty, which is across the street in Flemington Borough. Total value of the cosmetics was a whopping $539, making it a 3rd degree (felony) shoplifting in our neighboring town. I contacted their police department and one of their officers responded to Ulta Beauty to take the report. While we waited for him to arrive, I tried to get one of the Ulta girls to put some foundation on MO to make him easier to look at. The poor girl had no idea how to take me. When the Flemington officer arrived, I let him know that BB is at the hospital but...puke and poop...so don't rush it.

We got out on time, but just barely. While we got changed in the locker room, I expressed to MO and the other Millennials that while the Red Cross's ABCs are AIRWAY, BREATHING, CIRCULATION, this Squad's ABCs are actually PABCs. We don't do PUKE or POOP unless we absolutely have to, then AIRWAY, BREATHING, CIRCULATION. MO acknowledged that my system is the better system.
 
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Robin

Well-Known Member
Was wondering what was going on...in fact, Lance texted our neighbor to see if he knew..which is always entertaining in itself. I'm curious as to who BB is...and if I've ever seen her. LOL

Anytime I see a Raritan cruiser, I think "I wonder if it's Carson". This time we were right. Good story - I shared it with Lance.
 

ilnadi

Well-Known Member
After some checking, we learned that the cosmetics were stolen from Ulta Beauty, which is across the street in Flemington Borough.
so the two shopping centers are in different jurisdictions? I'm amazed some criminal mastermind did not take advantage of this. Do you have people running for the county line to avoid arrest?

Someone ... eating food off the shelves.
OK, I have to re-think the whole "go to SR after biking, grab juice, drink juice while shopping, pay for juice, ask cashier to just throw it away" scheme. Living in Clinton all this time may have given me a false sense of security :eek:
 

Carson

Sport Bacon
Team MTBNJ Halter's
so the two shopping centers are in different jurisdictions? I'm amazed some criminal mastermind did not take advantage of this. Do you have people running for the county line to avoid arrest?

OK, I have to re-think the whole "go to SR after biking, grab juice, drink juice while shopping, pay for juice, ask cashier to just throw it away" scheme. Living in Clinton all this time may have given me a false sense of security :eek:

We have a few addresses in town that are pretty nutty:

We have a residence in Raritan Township but the driveway and mailbox is in Franklin Township.

One of the farms is divided: house is Raritan, barn is Franklin, field is Clinton.

We have a bank that is in Raritan Township. But the drive-up ATM is in Flemington Borough.

One of the stores in the Hunterdon Shopping Center has the register in Raritan Township but the back door is in Flemington Borough.

Another bank is in RT...the front lawn and one of the exits is in FB.

The new Chimney Rock Inn on Route 31 was 50/50 but they changed the pad so the entire building is in FB (issue with the liquor license). But half the parking lot is still RT.



No one wants to arrest a dude in Spandex. No one.
 

Carson

Sport Bacon
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Bowling Ball UPDATE

Our shift came back for dayshift today.

At 8am, the Millenial Officer stopped at Bowling Ball's residence to bring her in for processing on the shoplifting charge. He knocked on the door, saw BB walk past the window once, but she wouldn't come to the door. After a bunch of knocking, he called me for advice. We don't have a warrant, we don't want to get a warrant, and we sure as hell aren't going to force entry for a minor theft. He asked what I would do.

Me: You are 100% positive that you saw her in the window?
MO: Yes, she looked out the window briefly, saw me, and disappeared.
Me: How long did you knock?
MO: I dunno, a good 10 minutes.
Me: Yell that you are going to embarrass her in front of her neighbors if she doesn't come out. Then go to your patrol car and either start yelling her name over the loudspeaker or just turn the siren on until she comes out.
MO: I can't do that!!
Me: I'll come do it.
MO: No, no, I guess I'll do it. But all the neighbors will come out.
Me: Yep, make a huge scene. Promise her you'll continue to make a huge scene and your shift doesn't end until 7pm.
MO: Sigh, ok.

After a few minutes, MO radioed that she is in custody and he was transporting her to the station for processing. I met MO and BB at the station. Somehow, sober, she's even more round. And she wasn't totally sober, but she was manageable. I can't tell if she's leftover-drunk from last night or had her morning eye-opener already.

MO said that only a few barks on the loudspeaker and BB walked out the door. Apparently she was worried about being evicted because the neighbors have already complained about her "antics". Shocker.

BB mumbled that she wanted to get a few things done prior to dealing with us at the door. I apologize, rather sincerely, that her day was interrupted by our presence. I explained that in the future, she can do things around the house whenever she likes if she doesn't steal from our stores and piss and shit her pants in the parking lot. BB only managed to glare at me.

I called Flemington Borough PD as I wanted to make sure they got a crack at her if they hadn't already processed BB on their charges. Turns out they had not, so an officer headed over to our station.

The Flemington officer arrived and told us BB was found passed out yesterday, on Main Street, at lunchtime. BB had, again, pissed and shit her pants. So, again, she was sent up the hospital. So she caught a disorderly person charge for that, as well.

I offered to BB that she may need to get some help. BB responded, "For what?". I told her, "Nevermind. If pissing and shitting your pants in public places on the regular isn't a red flag to you, I won't waste my time." Glare #2.

After MO finished his processing, BB headed out in bracelets with the Flemington officer where she was lodged in the Hunterdon County Jail. BB will live to piss and shit another day!
 
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