New Jersey
New policy will change how New Jersey police respond to some mental health calls
TRENTON, N.J. – The New Jersey state attorney general is changing the state’s use-of-force policy after two fatal police shootings of people experiencing mental health crises.
Attorney General Matthew Platkin says this is the first statewide policy of its kind and will require all police departments in New Jersey to coordinate with mental health professionals when they’re responding to a call for a barricaded person, a situation he says overwhelmingly involves people experiencing an emotional crisis and is the most likely call to end in an injury.
The policy will also require all New Jersey police departments to train their tactical teams in crisis negotiation and deploy them with what Platkin calls “less lethal force,” such as tasers and shields.
The state will also expand its “Arrive Together” program, which pairs police with mental health professionals to all departments for when they respond the type of barricaded calls involving someone having a mental health crisis.
Platkin said the changes will take effect as early as October.
Policy change comes following deadly shootings of Andrew Washington, Victoria Lee
In 2023, Jersey City Police officers shot and killed Andrew Washington, and just last month, Fort Lee Police shot and killed Victoria Lee. Both Washington and Lee had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and their families told 911 they were in the midst of a mental crisis.
Neither the Jersey City nor the Fort Lee police departments were enrolled in the Arrive Together program prior to those shootings.
“Do you think if those departments were already involved in the Arrive Together program that Victoria Lee, Andrew Washington might be alive today?” CBS News New York’s Ali Bauman asked Platkin.
“I can’t comment on those cases. But what I can say, learning from our experience overseeing fatal police encounters … We know that when you take a clinical and more enlightened approach, when you don’t ask law enforcement to do everything … We can save lives. We can produce better outcomes. We can produce environments that are safer for the individual who’s suffering and safer for the officers responding,” Platkin said.
Washington’s family has filed a lawsuit against the Jersey City Police Department.
Family of Victoria Lee calls for accountability for deadly shooting
Lee’s family released a new statement Thursday, calling for accountability for the July 28 shooting.
New Jersey
N.J. Democrats don’t have much time to pick a replacement for the late Congressman Pascrell
U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell’s death on Wednesday leaves Democrats in the 9th Congressional District with just one week to select a replacement for the November ballot, setting the stage for a convention of leaders in Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties.
Under state law, the three Democratic committees that make up the 9th Congressional District must submit a name to the Secretary of State by Aug. 29 — next Thursday — to be placed on the November ballot. With party leaders away at the Democratic National Convention, that doesn’t leave much time to make sure the committees meet and endorse.
New Jersey is expected to have one more day of cooler temperatures before warmer, summer-like conditions return Friday and last through the weekend and into next week.
Highs on Thursday will range from the mid 70 in northwestern New Jersey to 80 along parts of the Jersey Shore, including in Toms River and Atlantic City, the National Weather Service said.
We’ll have a mix of sun and clouds on another dry, comfortable day. Yet another cool evening is ahead as temps dip into the low to mid 50s overnight and into Friday morning.
It’ll feel more like summer again on Friday as highs reach the low 80s. By Saturday, we’re back to the mid 80s and on Sunday temperatures are expected to climb into the upper 80, forecasters say. It will also be more humid, though not oppressively so, according to AccuWeather.com.
No rain is in the forecast until at least Monday as skies should be sunny all weekend. Overnight lows are expected to steadily rise through the weekend — starting in the upper 50s Friday and ending with lows in the mid 60s Sunday night into Monday.
Daytime highs across New Jersey will steadily climb each of the next several days, according to AccuWeather.comAccuWeather.com
The forecast also call for Monday to be sunny and warm, though there’s a threat of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon.
The low in Trenton on Wednesday was 52, the coolest August temperature in the capital city in 24 years. At the marina in Atlantic City, the mercury plunged to 57, the lowest reading in August at that spot since 2003, the weather service said. No low temperature records in New Jersey were broken.
Current weather radar
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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.
TRENTON, N.J. – A proposed bill in New Jersey would offer some relief to drivers who use E-ZPass.
It would allow individuals to deduct up to $1,000 from their gross income on their state income tax returns for tolls paid via the E-ZPass system. This deduction would apply to tolls paid on any toll road within New Jersey, as well as interstate toll bridges and tunnels connecting the state with neighboring areas.
The bill does specify, however, that certain toll-related expenses would not qualify for the deduction, including fines for toll violations.
Sen. James Holzapfel, who represents District 10 in Monmouth and Ocean counties, and Sen. Patrick Diegnan Jr., who represents District 18 in Middlesex County, are sponsoring the bill.
They say the bill is designed to help commuters offset the rising costs of transportation, particularly in light of recent increases in the state gasoline tax.
“By providing toll-paying commuters with a way to offset a portion of their costs, this bill recognizes that these individuals are paying more than their fair share of the burden of maintaining safe, modern, and ample roadways in the State,” the bill says.
The bill was introduced in the Senate on Jan. 9 and referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. The committee has not discussed the bill in any of its five most recent meetings, according to the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
It is unknown when the next Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting will take place.
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