New Jersey
Mercifully, New Jersey Devils End Their Season With A Thud
![Mercifully, New Jersey Devils End Their Season With A Thud Mercifully, New Jersey Devils End Their Season With A Thud](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_2000,h_2000,c_fit/https://pucksandpitchforks.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/18176329.jpeg)
The New Jersey Devils had one of many worst seasons in franchise historical past. No, critically. In 2020, I known as that the worst season of all time. If solely I knew what was to come back simply two years later. Yeah, that yr was horrible. We fired a coach and GM, traded our star participant, misplaced Blake Coleman, moved our captain for a draft decide, watched Jack Hughes wrestle to deal with the NHL, and our goalie state of affairs fell aside. This season is undoubtedly worse even when it comes with extra hope for the longer term.
The precise season was impossibly dangerous. Let’s begin with the goalie state of affairs. We began with Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier. We lastly fastened goaltending. If Blackwood struggles, Bernier has a protracted historical past of success. Plus, he received’t retire. That’s a significant plus. Welp, Bernier’s season was over by the primary week of December. Then, the Devils leaned all the best way in on Blackwood, and his injured heel lastly gave out in January.
Scott Wedgewood was claimed by the Arizona Coyotes off waivers on November 4th, lower than a month earlier than Bernier’s ultimate recreation of the season. As a substitute, the Devils traded future concerns for Jon Gillies. They traded for Andrew Hammond, and so they compelled Nico Daws and Akira Schmid to play within the NHL earlier than they have been prepared.
It’s only a microcosm of the season. It was a season the place the Devils received simply 27 out of 82 video games. The final time when the Devils misplaced 55 video games in a season was 1984, the Devils’ second season in New Jersey. They misplaced another recreation than the Devils did this season. It was a pathetic efficiency that proves to be all-time low for this fanbase.
It’s not all-time low for the entrance workplace. They’ll blame accidents and issues outdoors of their management. How can a group win with a carousel of AHL goalies within the NHL? There may be loads of blame outdoors the goaltending state of affairs. The teaching employees didn’t do practically sufficient to repair the Devils’ transgressions, which embrace a baffling sophomore stoop from Ty Smith, the worst energy play within the league (the shorthanded objectives imply extra to us than PP%), drop-offs from Michael McLeod, Janne Kuokkanen, and others, whereas additionally blowing leads too usually. Typically massive leads.
The New Jersey Devils season ended on a six-game shedding streak. It was their third six-game shedding streak of the season. They simply couldn’t cease the losses from coming in bunches. There was no stopping the dangerous occasions.
On prime of the losses, the accidents made the product near-unwatchable at occasions. We introduced up the goalies, however that simply scratches the floor. Jack Hughes had two main accidents, though the second was most likely only a precaution greater than an precise harm. Dougie Hamilton broke his jaw in his first season with the Devils. Miles Wooden solely performed three video games this season after a hip surgical procedure. Jonas Siegenthaler ended the season with a damaged hand. Nearly everybody missed per week right here or there. It felt just like the Devils by no means had a full lineup.
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Modifications should come this offseason. The Devils can’t go into subsequent season with the identical teaching employees and the identical roster. One thing concerning the definition of loopy comes into play right here. The Devils season is over, and it’s unhappy. It’s not unhappy as a result of it’s over, however it’s unhappy as a result of we’re not unhappy it’s over. We simply wanted it to finish. It was fixed distress. It was 55 days of disappointment. It’s time to rejoice the Devils trying to defend their offseason championship whereas others play for the true factor.
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New Jersey
New Jersey State Police Gave a ‘Free Pass’ to Motorists with Courtesy Cards or Ties to Police, Investigation Finds – Insider NJ
![New Jersey State Police Gave a ‘Free Pass’ to Motorists with Courtesy Cards or Ties to Police, Investigation Finds – Insider NJ New Jersey State Police Gave a ‘Free Pass’ to Motorists with Courtesy Cards or Ties to Police, Investigation Finds – Insider NJ](https://www.insidernj.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/trenton.jpg)
The Office of the State Comptroller found even motorists suspected of dangerous driving offenses were let go by New Jersey State Police.
TRENTON—An investigation finds that New Jersey State Police troopers routinely gave preferential treatment to certain motorists who presented a courtesy card or asserted a personal connection to law enforcement—even when motorists were suspected of dangerous offenses, like drunk driving, according to a new report by the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller.
OSC’s Police Accountability Project reviewed body worn camera footage of 501 no-enforcement stops by New Jersey State Police–meaning stops where New Jersey State troopers did not issue tickets or make arrests. In 139 or 27 percent of these no-enforcement stops, motorists presented a courtesy card, claimed to have a friend or relative in law enforcement, or flashed a law enforcement badge and then were let go, OSC’s report said. In some cases, the trooper released the motorist immediately, offering some version of “you’re good.” The report found that courtesy cards are in wide usage and function as “accepted currency” by state troopers. (In all but one case, the troopers gave the courtesy card back to the motorist, enabling the card to be used again.)
Reviewing more than 50 hours of body worn camera footage of the stops, which took place over ten days in December 2022, OSC found that troopers regularly decided not to enforce motor vehicle laws after receiving a courtesy card or being told the driver has ties to law enforcement. For instance, one motorist, who was stopped for driving over 90 miles per hour, admitted to drinking alcohol but was let go without a sobriety test after he presented two courtesy cards. Another motorist was stopped for driving over 103 miles per hour and was released after she volunteered that her father was a lieutenant in a local police department. The most significant consequence the troopers imposed in these stops was advising the motorists that they had left a voicemail message for the law enforcement officer named on the courtesy card or invoked as a friend or relative. OSC has released video excerpts of the footage.
“Our investigation shows that some people are being given a free pass to violate serious traffic safety laws,” said Acting State Comptroller Kevin Walsh. “Law enforcement decisions should never depend on who you know, your family connections, or donations to police unions. Nepotism and favoritism undermine our laws and make our roads more dangerous.”
Overall, close to half of the 501 non-enforcement stops reviewed by OSC involved speeding, many for more than 20 miles per hour over the speed limit. In three stops, drivers stopped for reckless driving, careless driving, and/or speeding, also admitted to drinking alcohol, yet were released without being asked to step out of the car for a field sobriety test. Both drunk driving and speeding are major causes of traffic fatalities. According to data compiled by the New Jersey State Police Fatal Accident Investigation Unit, in 2022, New Jersey recorded 646 fatal collisions that resulted in 689 deaths or 1.89 fatalities per day. This was among the highest number of traffic-related deaths in New Jersey in the past 15 years.
OSC initiated this investigation in response to reports that law enforcement officers’ decisions not to enforce motor vehicle violations were influenced by improper factors, including courtesy cards. Courtesy cards, often referred to as PBA cards, FOP cards, or gold cards, are given out by police labor associations to law enforcement officers. They also can be purchased through “associate memberships” with police associations and are sold by private companies.
OSC’s investigation found that courtesy cards are widely used. In 87, or 17 percent, of the no-enforcement stops OSC reviewed, motorists presented courtesy cards that came from municipal police departments, county and state agencies, as well as inter-state and out-of-state law enforcement agencies. They all appeared to be equally effective at getting motorists released without enforcement.
Asserting a relationship with law enforcement appeared to carry equal weight, OSC found. In 52 or 10 percent of the no-enforcement stops reviewed, the driver or passengers did not present a courtesy card but claimed a connection to law enforcement, and the trooper decided to let them go. In 29 of those stops, the motorist or passenger identified themselves as current, retired, or in-training law enforcement officers. Other stops resulted in no enforcement when the drivers or passengers claimed a relative, friend, or neighbor worked in a law enforcement agency.
In one stop, a trooper said he stopped a motorist for driving 97 miles per hour. After an extended conversation about the “friends” they had in common, the trooper told the driver to “stay safe” and let him go. In another stop, a trooper performed a computerized look-up of the driver’s credentials and discovered the driver had an active warrant for his arrest. But when the driver’s friend introduced himself, letting the trooper know that he was also an off-duty trooper, the stopping trooper walked back to the motorist, apologized for stopping him, and let him go without even mentioning the warrant. OSC was unable to determine from the footage what the warrant was for.
Other findings include:
- Providing preferential treatment to motorists who present courtesy cards or assert close personal relationships with law enforcement appears to have a discriminatory impact. Of the 87 courtesy cards observed in the sample, for instance, 69 were presented by White drivers.
- Even when courtesy cards were not present, racial disparities were observed in the sample. New Jersey State Police policy requires troopers to request all three driving credentials (license, registration, proof of insurance) when making motor vehicle stops, but OSC found overall, White and Asian drivers were less likely to have all three of their credentials requested and verified when compared to Black and Hispanic/LatinX drivers. Additionally, troopers conducted computerized lookups of Hispanic/LatinX drivers 65 percent of the time, while looking up White drivers only 34 percent of the time.
- In many stops, OSC was unable to ascertain why the troopers made the decision not to enforce motor vehicle violations because of the quality of the video footage or other factors. Still, OSC observed several of those stops involved dangerous offenses, underscoring the importance of reviewing no-enforcement motor vehicle stops, which are not routinely reviewed.
OSC made 11 recommendations, including that New Jersey State Police regularly review no-enforcement stops to better understand racial/ethnic trends in motor vehicle data and determine if additional training is needed. OSC also recommended that the Attorney General consider issuing a directive that would explicitly prohibit law enforcement officers from giving preferential treatment to motorists because of their ties to law enforcement or possession of courtesy cards.
Read the report.
Watch excerpts of the body camera footage.
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New Jersey
Authorities Debunk Viral Explanation for NJ Drone Sightings
![Authorities Debunk Viral Explanation for NJ Drone Sightings Authorities Debunk Viral Explanation for NJ Drone Sightings](https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/E745BU33BFCHZKROJWRMVTPQRY.jpg?smart=true&auth=f844a4ed88e8ae039ada3b4264d17328acd15b4ba41d1004415b11c4f41f55fc&width=1200&height=630)
The drones spotted over the Garden State were probably not looking for a missing shipment of radioactive material.
New Jersey
N.J. weighs making underage gambling no longer a crime, but subject to a fine
![N.J. weighs making underage gambling no longer a crime, but subject to a fine N.J. weighs making underage gambling no longer a crime, but subject to a fine](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/slot-machines-atlantic-city.jpg)
Should underage gambling no longer be a crime?
New Jersey lawmakers are considering changing the law to make gambling by people under the age of 21 no longer punishable under criminal law, making it subject to a fine.
It also would impose fines on anyone helping an underage person gamble in New Jersey.
The bill changes the penalties for underage gambling from that of a disorderly persons offense to a civil offense. Fines would be $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second offense, and $2,000 for any subsequent offenses.
The money would be used for prevention, education, and treatment programs for compulsive gambling, such as those provided by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey.
“The concern I had initially was about reducing the severity of the punishment,” said Assemblyman Don Guardian, a Republican former mayor of Atlantic City. “But the fact that all the money will go to problem gambling treatment programs changed my mind.”
Figures on underage gambling cases were not immediately available Thursday. But numerous people involved in gambling treatment and recovery say a growing number of young people are becoming involved in gambling, particularly sports betting as the activity spreads around the country.
The bill was approved by an Assembly committee and now goes to the full Assembly for a vote. It must pass both houses of the Legislature before going to the desk of the state’s Democratic governor, Phil Murphy.
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