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Chief William Cicchetti, President Sgt. Richard Maxwell 1st Vice-President (Ret.) Chief Tony Parenti, Editor MEETING NOTICES: Next Regular Business Meeting: WEDNESDAY, March 5, 2008, beginning at 10:00 AM, at the Somerville Elks Club, Route 28 (Union Avenue) Bridgewater, NJ. Board Of Directors: The next Board meeting is at the call of the President.  PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: Many changes are being made to the National Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The changes are currently being advertised with the comment period ending at the end of July 2008. Some changes: color changes, signs on private property will have to comply with the signs in the manual, the size and lettering on road signs must be set for 20-40 vision (currently they are set for 20-20). We will keep you informed as we receive more information. Len Diamond, formerly with NJ Transit, passed away recently. Len was a loyal member of the NJPTOA and we offer our sincere condolences to his wife and children. There was a reading of by-law changes at our last meeting and we will vote on them for final passage at our next meeting. The changes are posted on our website. If anyone has any comments or suggestions they may contact us via the NJPTOA website (NJPTOA.COM). Stay Safe - Bill. RADAR TUNING FORK CERTIFICATION INFORMATION: NJ Weights & Measures will test and certify Radar Tuning Forks at the March 5, 2008 meeting for departments for departments N through Z. To expedite the process they ask that all tuning forks be sorted by miles per hour and in banded bundles. List each fork on their invoice including miles per hour, serial number, and have your department's purchase order entirely filled out including the mailing address section along with a copy of their invoice. Remember the price for testing radar tuning forks is $10.00 per fork. Any questions or comments call 732-815-4851 and speak with the supervisor or 732-815-4859 and speak with someone from his staff. 
MEETING CANCELLATION INFORMATION: We try not to cancel meetings unless conditions are dangerous. If we cancel a meeting due to bad weather or for any for other reason, we will post a notice on the Police Network by 0600 on the date of the meeting and on our website. We also will try to get it on 101.5 radio. Always check, particularly during inclement weather. PRIVATE MEDICAL HELICOPTERS: There are new rules in effect that will permit private air-ambulance service in New Jersey. Before this rule change private helicopters could only respond to a crash scene if the State Police helicopters were not available. The private service will cost patients about $7,000.00 per while the State Police service is in the $1,300.00 range. The State Police helicopters fly out of Somerset and Camden Counties. The private companies are: MONOC, based in Berkeley Township, covering southern Monmouth County and most of Ocean County and Atlantic Health who will cover portions of Sussex and Morris counties. E-MAIL NEWSLETTER INFORMATION: Aside from receiving the newsletter by e-mail subscribers also get traffic safety alerts and information throughout the month, in between newsletters. For instance e-mail subscribers received information on Highway Bridges, Highlights on the new Red Light Camera Law, Cell Phone Law, and the entire 2/6/08 Legislative Report. We can only provide this service to e-mail subscribers because it would cost a small fortune to do this by postal mail. If you would like to be added to our e-mail roster send your request to tparenti@comcast.net. Please include the name of your department and the name of the contact person. We are striving to have the largest police e-mail roster and we will protect subscribers e-mail address and identity. We will not give or sell our e-mail roster to anyone. 
As of Week 8, 2008 2008 there were 82 fatalities recorded on NJ roads compared to 113 during the same period in 2007, A DECREASE OF 31 DEATHS.
There were 49 Driver deaths, 13 Passengers, 4 Pedacyclists, 16 Pedestrians. There were 82 fatalities in 78 crashes. POLICE SECURITY EXPO: 1. If you would like to have the monthly newsletter e-mailed to you instead of delivery by post office mail please send your request to tparenti@comcast.net. Please include the name of your department and the name of the contact person. 2. When sending us your e-mail address please make sure it is a working address. One bad address in the system clogs the entire database and it takes a considerable amount of time to locate the bad address. Make sure it is an e-mail address and not the address of the department website. We also have to know if it is case sensitive. 3. Some members told us that their printers would not print out 8 -1/2 X 14 paper. We are trying to make the newsletter fit both 8-1/2 X 11 and 81/2 X 14 printers so please be patient. TRAINING NEWS: Below are the remaining dates for this years Traffic RADAR Instructor's Refresher courses presented by NJDCJ. 3/5/08 - Ocean County Police Academy, Lakewood, NJ. 9/17/08 - Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, West Wing, 5th Floor, Training Room, Trenton NJ. Work Zone Safety Awareness Conference April 10, 2008 at Rider University, Bart Ludeke Student Center, Lawrenceville, NJ., beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 3:00 p.m. Panel sessions include Media and Teen Drivers, Safety Violations in Work Zones, Worker & Motorist Safety Signs, and explaining the final rule in New Jersey. The cost for the conference, including breakfast and lunch is $30.00. For more information contact Dr. Claudia Knezek at 732-445-3632, Ext. 147. 
NEW AUTO SAFETY TECHNOLOGY: Automotive World recently reported that Volvo auto manufacturer announced progress in its research and development on three new auto safety technologies: Collision Warning with Auto Brake, Pedestrian and Collision Avoidance by Auto Steering, and Vehicle to Vehicle Communication. According to Automotive World, each technology is still in the prototype stage. Collision Warning with Auto Brake uses radar technology to help drivers see pedestrians. As the vehicle approaches a pedestrian a red warning light illuminates on a display and a warning sound is emitted. Collision Avoidance by Auto Steering uses a camera and radar to monitor the position of the car and oncoming traffic. The car is automatically steered away from potential collisions. Vehicle to Vehicle Communication lets motorists communicate with one another to exchange warnings of hazards ahead on the roadway, such as stalled cars or closed lanes. NEW JERSEY ASSOCIATION OF RECONSTRUCTIONISTS: The NJ Association of Reconstructionists, an organization started by the NJPTOA in 1990, is hosting an annual Joint Conference in Atlantic City in October 2008. They are seeking suggestions from NJPTOA members regarding the type of crash investigation/reconstruction topics they would like to see presented. The conference brings together Associations from New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The presenters are national and international reconstruction experts and they will demonstrate live crash tests. Due to planning and logistic concerns they are seeking your input as soon as possible. Please contact President Frank Volpicella at Retvolpe@aol.com or Board Member Joe Cofone at crashman2u@optonline.net. You can visit the NJAAR website in the months ahead at www.NJAAR.org to keep up to the latest developments. EXPERIMENT ON G.D.L. IN MONMOUTH COUNTY: : Middletown High School students are required to display a decal on their vehicle's rear bumper that identifies the driver as a "Provisional" driver and subject to GDL regulations. Although police will not be able to stop vehicles equipped with the decal unless the driver commits a violation, the decals serve as a reminder of the restrictions on the new drivers. Assemblywoman Handlin of Monmouth County is trying to get legislation passed that would require all provisional drivers to display decals. 
ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SAFETY BELTS AND BULLETPROOF VEST SALUTE OUR WAR HEROES - NEVER FORGET THE DEPARTED Next Meeting March 5th - Somerville Elks Club, Bridgewater, NJ NJSA 39:4-97.3 goes into effect on March 1, 2008. Cell phone & Text usage a Primary Offense |