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Bill Proposes Notifying Police Departments of Residents' License Suspensions

Ocean County legislator's bill passes committee

 

An Ocean County legislator's proposal to have the state Motor Vehicle Commission notify local police departments when a resident's license is suspended passed the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee Thursday.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. James Holzapfel (R-Ocean), would require the motor vehicle agency to electronically transmit license suspension information to police departments when a resident has his or her license suspended.

Holzapfel said in a statement Thursday he introduced the bill at the urging of several small municipalities that requested they receive this information because it could help determine who may be operating vehicles without a valid license.

"Many small town police departments in New Jersey are unaware that illegal drivers are still on their roads because they are not informed," said Holzapfel. "If law enforcement agencies are made aware of these drivers from the Motor Vehicle Commission many of these illegal drivers will not be able to slip through the cracks thus keeping our roads and townships safer."

In order to be enacted as law, the bill would have to pass a vote by the entire state Senate and Assembly and be signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie.

  • Should police departments be notified of local drivers whose licenses have been suspended?

    (Voting has been closed for this question)
    • Yes
        20 (51%)
    • No
        19 (48%)
    Total votes: 39
  • Your vote will only count once. This is not a scientific poll. View Results Vote!
Related Topics: James Holzapfel and Suspended License

Typical Obama Voter

6:11 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012

How about getting the ilegal aliens off the roads and out of the country?

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Fred

7:46 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012

This State is looking more and more like Berlin in 1936. Wake up people.

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WMS826

7:42 am on Friday, October 12, 2012

This is stupid and a waste of goverments time. 85k people or more in brick, do you expect them to know each and every one on the revolke list. That is what computers are for. When police encounter them, it comes up suspended and they get a ticket.

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clamdigger

7:46 am on Friday, October 12, 2012

anyone who loses their license should be forced to walk around w/ a 6" patch on their clothes which reads "I was stupid enough to rack up enough points to lose my drivers license"

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DT

9:44 am on Friday, October 12, 2012

LIKE ! too bad no like button on here!

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Joseph Woolston Brick

5:54 pm on Friday, October 19, 2012

Did someone mention Berlin 1936? Didn't they make a certain part of the population wear patches too?

Bowie Thelonius

8:10 am on Friday, October 12, 2012

Big Brother anyone? The government will intrude into our lives as much as the people allow. Apparently the people of NJ will allow massive intrusion.

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IGOR EVANOVITCH

11:26 am on Friday, October 12, 2012

i dryve my car and i nevr haid a ilycense i cant read or riyt gud so i fayld the test mani tymes. i gust obay the sped liit and nevar git stoppt

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Opinionated

1:54 pm on Friday, October 12, 2012

The award for the most ignorant post here goes to (drum roll), clamdigger and his/her sidekick, DT (sorry IGOR). Reason: there are a multitude of reasons for the State to take away your license. My favorite is when your insurance carrier can claim they were not properly notified of your transfer to another company. They can still have your driving privileges revoked on their word alone without one shred of proof. But of course, you will have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are properly insured and that takes time. So the Big Brother and gestapo insinuations truly reflect what we have let this state regress to. When I hear us referred to as "The People's Republic of New Jersey", I sadly realize they have a point.

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johny9179

10:13 pm on Friday, October 12, 2012

a lot of politicians want their name on a bill of some nature so they feel they will be remembered. Recently Christie said he wouldnt sign a bill that would require dogs to be wearing seatbelts!

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Mark Story Jenks

5:42 pm on Sunday, October 14, 2012

I didn't know
dogs even
COULD drive.

Hollowman

3:31 am on Saturday, October 13, 2012

I don't see the point of this. Other than letting a police dept know, what will this accomplish?? It takes two seconds to either A) check the computer yourself and get an immediate result, or B) have dispatch do it if you dont have in car computers and get the same result.

I can pretty much guarantee IF this passes, the information will not be updated on a daily basis from DMV to each individual township PD, and the suspension will have to be verified by dispatch with DMV anyway so really.... what is the point of this?

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Mark Story Jenks

5:47 pm on Sunday, October 14, 2012

You are always the voice of reason. At least we are safe in knowing you would never hand the keys to a dog.

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oldsoldier

5:58 pm on Sunday, October 14, 2012

If law enforcement has to go through the steps you describe, then I must agree with you. I would not think there would be any logical point to this law either. More importantly, it reminds me of many other well intentioned, but otherwise useless laws that get passed from time to time. In my opinion, gun laws, certain driving laws, et cetera that get passed as a knee jerk reaction to some tragic event or because someone think it would be a great idea to get another law on the books. Unfortuneately, i have to beleive some laws are not thought through, or they are directed at a segment of our population that do not deserve the restriction. At any rate, how does that address the people driving without a license? It does not, in my opinion.

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Hollowman

6:52 pm on Sunday, October 14, 2012

There are so many flaws with this legislation I don't know where to begin. Going off of existing case law in the state as an example, what would happen if a township uses an out-of-date DMV list to initiate a motorvehicle stop without any other reasonable suspicion or infraction to stop the vehicle, then that driver is identified as someone other than the registered owner, however winds up either being DUI, having a weapon/drugs/etc etc in the vehicle? The entire stop and resulting arrest would be thrown out of court as "fruits of the poisonous tree.(Wong Sun v. United States)" Even though it would be considered a "good faith" stop there is no exigency due to an unlicensed driver operating a car, and i can pretty much guarantee the courts would determine the suspension must be verified before making the stop anyway, pretty much nullifying any authenticity to a predetermined list of suspended drivers.

oldsoldier

6:01 pm on Sunday, October 14, 2012

Just remember - Read the article, and remember who sponsored the bill. If you object to this type of legislation, vote for the other person. Vote for the person, not the party.

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WMS826

8:36 pm on Sunday, October 14, 2012

Stop trying to put yourself in the stratosphere all the time Hollowman. You are a cop, who writes this stuff for you anyway.

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Tapuout

1:20 am on Monday, October 15, 2012

No wms hollow man writes/posts on here to educate ignorant people like yourself, and chief wahoo, who spew your ignorant opinions, not facts, about government, laws and the police.

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Hollowman

7:58 am on Monday, October 15, 2012

Don't bother with him, if patch admin wont "police" their threads to clear out comments like his that are entirely unrelated to the article and add absolutely nothing to a discussion aside from ignorant insinuations and assumptions about people commenting, he is just best left ignored.

WMS826

8:39 am on Monday, October 15, 2012

I have been around long enough to know that big words and insults are used to cover up other short comings insecure people have. Perhaps your police uniform only makes up for half of them, the rest you take out on people who disagree with you.

Please stop trying to be something you are not.

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