Parsippany New Jersey is known for it's jaywalking stings. The police will hide behind a tree and watch you jaywalk and then ticket you when you reach the other side. Presumably this is done in the name of safety - so why then do they allow you to risk your safety instead of yelling "watch out" or otherwise helping?
Today's news has this gem:
Crosswalk sting nets 800 in Montclair
The Star-Ledger - NJ.com, NJ - 16 hours ago
The pilot program -- which is in South Orange as well as Montclair -- is funded by a $40000 federal grant and targeted at New Jersey's ranking as one of top ...
Taking steps for pedestrian safety The Star-Ledger - NJ.com
all 2 news articles »
800 people! If they got one person per minute they spent thirteen hours on this! The feds granted them 40 thousand dollars!
The charge typically carries a $100 fine, plus $30 court costs, and 2 points on a driver's license. Motorists can plead guilty to a lesser charge of unsafe driving that doesn't carry any points, but penalties could reach $440.
Frank Ricci Jr., a well-dressed detective from the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, played the decoy yesterday. He was wearing a crisp dress suit and carrying a 4-cup cardboard coffee cup holder. He'd step into the crosswalk and wait for a break in traffic. He'd time the attempts so the oncoming vehicle would be back far enough, about 120 feet, to comfortably stop in time.
Somehow this is not entrapment.
Some research shows that there is a law in Newark NJ that makes it a crime to buy ice cream after 6pm without a doctor's note. No, really.
Perhaps officer Ricci would enjoy taking an ice cream truck to Newark shortly after dinner to crack down on more crime.
The Department of Common Sense asks the police that if this really is about safety, how about some public education capaigns such as the "Click It Or Ticket" warnings or the usual Labor Day speeding crackdown which is also well publicized in advance.
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