New funding is being made available in an effort to combat auto theft in the Garden State as Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced a $10 million fund for New Jersey law enforcement agencies to acquire or expand anti-auto theft technology.
The Office of the Attorney General last month shared that at least once local law enforcement agencies in each country across New Jersey would receive grants ranging from $23,400 to $595,000 to expand and acquire Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology systems.
“Residents across New Jersey deserve to feel safe in their communities. As we continue to address the ongoing wave of auto theft in our state, it is important that we equip our law enforcement agencies with the necessary tools they need to identify and catch these bad actors,” said Gov. Phil Murphy.
A Primer on ALPR Systems
ALPR systems utilize high-speed, automated camera networks to capture and store computer-readable images of license plates.
The images, captured and stored in a centralized database accessible to law enforcement, are used by authorities to identify, locate, and recover stolen vehicles.
Fighting Auto Theft Rings
Platkin noted this technology was often used to interrupt auto theft networks and to help apprehend individuals involved in vehicle thefts and other violent crimes.
“We know that car thefts on their own are bad enough, but they are also used to commit other, violent crimes. By equipping law enforcement with sophisticated Automated License Plate Reader technology, we are sending a clear message of deterrence against committing auto thefts,” said Platkin.
To that end, federal authorities recently arrested a former Bergen County resident with running a large, multistate car theft and fraud ring.
Recent Arrest
From November 2016 to June 2020, former Hackensack resident Warren Guerrier and several conspirators acting at his direction orchestrated a scheme to steal and then fraudulently sell vehicles to unsuspecting buyers. They identified vehicles to steal, then photographed, tracked, and advertised them for sale on the Internet.
At the sales, the buyer victims were provided with electronically programmed keys and falsified certificates of title for the stolen vehicles in exchange for a negotiated purchase price in cash. Buyer victims also were provided with fraudulent identity documents utilized by conspirators to obscure their true identities.
The scheme involved the theft of at least 40 stolen vehicles, approximately 30 of which were sold by Guerrier and his conspirators to buyer victims, and as a result of which Guerrier and his conspirators collected approximately $285,000. Guerrier is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, five counts of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
North Jersey Earmarks
The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) was set to receive the highest award, with over $3 million earmarked for the statewide law enforcement agency.
The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office is set to receive more than $400,000 while Newark was awarded $595,000. Other North Jersey law enforcement authorities receiving grants include Morris County Prosecutor’s Office ($372,000), Bloomfield ($226,065), City of Passaic ($148,253), Greenwich Township ($131,190), West New York ($125,380), Nutley ($91,666), Wallington ($86,400), Long Hill ($72,000), Chatham Township ($69,194), Sparta ($68,800), West Orange ($63,513), Dover ($48,000), and Union City ($22,000).
“We have witnessed the success that new technology, including the Automated License Plate Readers, has played in this process and we are committed to further investing in this cause until the number of auto thefts in our state hit zero,” added Murphy.
Automated plate readers should be as unconstitutional as red light cameras and speeding ticket cameras. Cops should have a reason to look up a plate.
The technology will let the cops identify car’s who owners owe court fines, tickets or have warrants; lets them make more money; it’s not going to stop car theft rings.
s bag judges say your license plate is public; but ignore the fact the information it reveals is private. All a money making scheme by Murphy and his hack atty gen.
This maybe Good, But how Many Lives will it Cost??? LOOK; For’n something GOOD, there’s usually something BAD that goes along with it; Law of Physics!! SO; This mite turn out to be another Famous “Stop & Frisks” Tool for’n Cop’s to use & abuse!! AND; Will there be any accountabilities for’n its introduction & misuses??//