Polistina, Guardian & Swift Address NJ Juvenile Crime Issues

Crime in general and juvenile crime is on the rise in New Jersey and around the country.

It is so significant at this time that it is negatively impacting the daily quality of life. The violence and vandalism has reach never-before-seen levels.

Prosecutor Will Reynolds is addressing it as the chief law enforcement official in Atlantic County.

Now, New Jersey Senator Vince Polistina, R-2 and New Jersey General Assemblyperson’s Don Guardian and Claire Swift are addressing this mounting problem.

The District 2, Atlantic County legislative team has introduced legislation to directly address the issue of crime.

SENATOR VINCE POLISTINA

Following the decriminalization of marijuana and the
changes to the juvenile justice laws, many law enforcement officers are being left with unclear direction as to what, if anything, they can do to combat some of the offenses and issues being caused by some juveniles primarily in our shore communities.

This new law will give some power back to the police, and hopefully help to quell any issues before they arise.

ASSEMBLYMAN DON GUARDIAN

While we know that no police department has the
manpower to patrol simply for these issues, this proposal
can be utilized as a tool by the police departments to
address any concerns or complaints of large gatherings of juveniles before a problem is created.

ASSEMBLYWOMAN CLAIRE SWIFT

Kids today need to be reminded that we are a Country and a State that believes in law and order. No one wants to see a criminal charge affect the future of a young child, however we do have laws and rules as a society, and we must live within those boundaries.

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The Polistina, Guardian and Swift legislation will allow for police officers to identify and verify the age of persons under the age of 18 years old.

At the current time, police officers are limited in terms of what they can do to assess whether a person is a juvenile or adult.

The current law also many times prevents police officers from notifying a parent or guardian about potential marijuana or alcohol used by their minor children.

The proposed legislation allows for confiscation and parental notification.

"This isn't a partisan issue, it's one that touches every one of us in our communities one way or another," said Polistina. Hopefully, these bills will garner support from both Republicans and Democrats and help avoid situations like we've recently seen in Wildwood and elsewhere,” said Polistina.

SOURCE: SenateNJ.com