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New policy will change how New Jersey police respond to some mental health calls

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Husband of slain New Jersey mom begs for help in newly released 911 call | Fox News Video

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Husband of slain New Jersey mom begs for help in newly released 911 call | Fox News Video


Former homicide detective Brian Foley provides expert insights into the newly released 911 call from Conor Hanlon, whose wife, New Jersey therapist Brooke Hanlon, was found stabbed to death. Foley analyzes the husband’s emotional state and the police’s approach, noting the case’s ‘suspicious’ designation 13 minutes into the call.



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NJ firefighter dies after crash responding to fire call

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NJ firefighter dies after crash responding to fire call


A young firefighter died two weeks after being badly hurt in a crash while responding to a fire call, according to the Malaga Fire Company.

Robert (Bobby) Reider, 23, was driving north along Delsea Drive while trying to get to the scene of fire on Saturday, June 27 when his car went off the road, officials said.

When first responders got to the scene of the crash, they found Reider trapped in his car and worked to remove him.

Reider was then taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital where he was treated for severe and traumatic injuries.

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Weeks later, on July 10 around 4:30 a.m., Reider died from his injuries while still in the hospital.

The Malaga Fire Company says that Reider joined their team in 2018 when he was just 16 as a junior firefighter.

He then went on to earn a certificate at Fire 1 at the Salem County Fire Academy in 2022.



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NJ Legislators Are Considering a Bill That Could Ban Tesla Robotaxis Due to Their Tech Choice

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NJ Legislators Are Considering a Bill That Could Ban Tesla Robotaxis Due to Their Tech Choice


New Jersey lawmakers are deliberating on a law that would create a three-year autonomous vehicle pilot program in the state, but Tesla might be banned from participating altogether over a technical choice made by the Texas-based carmaker for its self-driving vehicles.

The bill, officially known as S1677, would establish autonomous vehicle testing requirements with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. One of these proposed requirements is that autonomous vehicle operators use camera-based technology and two additional forms of sensor tech, such as lidar or radar. Of course, Tesla’s autonomous vehicle technology is purely camera-based, meaning the brand could be banned from testing in New Jersey.

picture alliance//Getty Images

The text of the bill is fairly straightforward, requiring prospective autonomous operators to submit a “law enforcement interaction plan” and detail redundant safety systems, crash-avoidance technology, and data recording capabilities. The specific language that would ban Tesla’s system requires autonomous operators to “be equipped with crash-avoidance systems, including a camera system and two distinct sensing modalities that are capable of detecting and tracking obstacles in the event of failure of the camera system.” The bill also favors keeping traditional steering wheel and pedal controls available. While initial testing would be completed with human safety operators, the bill would allow fully autonomous operation once certain metrics, such as 50,000 crash-free miles, are met.

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The decision to require both camera- and sensor-based technology is not a coincidence, according to The Verge. “This is not anti-Tesla. I’m pro-New Jersey safety,” Democratic state senator Andrew Zwicker, the bill’s primary sponsor and a physicist by trade, said to The Verge. “At this point, I don’t think the evidence is sufficient that a single sensor with software can handle situations that humans can.”

Tesla is, unsurprisingly, upset about this development, and the company is fighting back. The automaker’s public policy platform, Engage Tesla, features a call to action for Tesla owners to contact members of the New Jersey Legislature to oppose the bill, with the plea claiming the autonomous vehicle testing program is the opposite of progress, and saying that Tesla would be legally barred from testing in the Garden State. Statistics about roadway death rates in New Jersey and denying freedom of movement for elderly populations are also included.

pilot project with self driving teslas in the eifel region

picture alliance//Getty Images

“Rather than prioritizing real safety outcomes and performance, the bill specifically bans Tesla from the New Jersey market,” the site reads. “Every arbitrary roadblock is a delay for the people who need this life-changing technology most. Legislation that bans Tesla’s proven AV technology from the market is not caution — it’s anti-competitive favoritism that will cause New Jersey to fall behind while other states move forward.”

The bill, introduced on January 16, is currently under consideration by the New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. The bill’s language closely mirrors talking points from the nonprofit SAVE-US, which is lobbying for stronger oversight of autonomous vehicle testing. New Jersey is not the only state pondering additional autonomous testing regulation; New York legislators are working on similar legislation. Just yesterday, federal safety regulators called out autonomous vehicle operators like Waymo for interfering with first responders.

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Headshot of Emmet White

A New York transplant hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Emmet White has a passion for anything that goes: cars, bicycles, planes, and motorcycles. After learning to ride at 17, Emmet worked in the motorcycle industry before joining Autoweek in 2022 and Road & Track in 2024. The woes of alternate side parking have kept his fleet moderate, with a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta GLI and a BMW 318i E30 street parked in his Queens community.



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