Camera Mandate Halted—For Now
A recent ruling will allow police departments in New Jersey to opt out of a state mandate that had required newly purchased police vehicles to be equipped with a form of mobile camera system.
According to NJ.com, the order — issued by the New Jersey Council on Local Mandates last month — halts the law until the Council either “makes a final determination … or the (state) legislature fully funds this mandate,” according to a statement from the New Jersey League of Municipalities.
“The practical effect of this order will be that, for the time being, the decision to outfit police cruisers … will be a matter to be decided locally, and not mandated by the state,” Michael J. Darcy, executive director of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, wrote in a statement on the recent decision.
Deptford Township had challenged the mandate earlier this year over funding concerns and in September it won an injunction on the matter. The November decision now officially halts the mandate. The township’s mayor, Paul Medany, had claimed that the numbers did not add up and that it would have taken the township roughly 17 years to pay off the cost of the cameras.
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