Camden County and Gloucester County The Truth

Washington Township Police Officer Cleared of Misconduct

http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index.ssf/2015/03/washington_township_police_officer_misconduct_tria.html

NJ Police and Fire Pension "The Truth"

NJ Police and Fire Pension "The Truth"

 

 

Surprising foreclosure hot spots - NJ Makes the List

I guess the Mayor and council of Gloucester City don't read the business section????

Surprising foreclosure hot spots

By Les Christie  @CNNMoney

While housing markets across the country are recovering from the deepest throes of the foreclosure crisis, others are just stumbling into it -- and they aren't exactly the places you'd expect.

States like Maryland, Oregon and New Jersey, which maintained relatively stable markets after the housing bubble popped, saw new foreclosure filings climb by double- and triple-digit percentages in July, according to RealtyTrac.

In Maryland, for example, new foreclosure filings skyrocketed 275% compared with a year earlier. When it came to overall foreclosure activity, including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, the state had the second highest foreclosure rate in the nation, after default-riddled Florida.

Oregon saw new foreclosure filings surge 137% and New Jersey's foreclosure starts spiked 89% year-over-year.

So what gives? In many of these cases, early government intervention aimed at helping these markets is now coming back to haunt them, says Daren Blomquist, RealtyTrac's spokesman.

"Foreclosures are continuing to boil over in a select group of markets where state legislation and court rulings kept a lid on foreclosure activity during the worst of the housing crisis," he said.

Take the D.C. metro area, where the District of Columbia converges with the suburban counties of Virginia and Maryland. Foreclosure filings in both D.C. and the Virginia suburbs of Fairfax and Arlington are down significantly year-over-year, while in Maryland's nearby Frederick and Montgomery counties, the rate of new foreclosures is skyrocketing.

"That tells me that the difference has not much to do with the underlying fundamentals of the housing market but by the way the crisis was handled," said Blomquist.

After the housing bubble popped, Virginia's government didn't try to stop many of the defaulting loans from working their way through foreclosure process. While the hit was painful at first -- by the end of 2008, the state had the 10th highest foreclosure rate in the nation -- the market has gotten back on its feet more quickly.

Meanwhile in Maryland, an aggressive effort by the state to make sure all foreclosures were handled properly during the housing crisis saved a lot of people's homes but it also postponed a lot of inevitable foreclosures, according to Blomquist. Now the banks are catching up.

Another key difference: Maryland is a judicial state, meaning all foreclosures must be approved by the courts which inevitably slows the process. In Virginia, a non-judicial state, trustees arrange to repossess homes on their own.

Among some of the states that saw the largest spikes in foreclosures last month, New Jersey and Rhode Island are judicial states.

Oregon is classified as a non-judicial state, but that status changed for many mortgages in the wake of the robo-signing scandal, which revealed that banks were playing fast and loose with foreclosure paperwork. Oregon then insisted that foreclosures on mortgages that had gone into an electronic tracking system called the Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS), which the robo-signing abuses were centered around, had to be approved by a court.

Nationwide, RealtyTrac reported a 6% increase in new foreclosure notices in July. That helped push overall foreclosure filings 2% higher year-over-year.

But there were some bright spots: States like California, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Georgia are seeing foreclosure filings that are nearing levels not seen since before the housing bust.

"The foreclosure boil-over markets are becoming fewer and farther between," said Blomquist. 

 

 

 

 

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HORRIFIC ALLEGATION: COUPLE SAYS COPS CLIMBED THROUGH WINDOW WITHOUT WARRANT AND SHOT THEIR DOGS

A Florida couple is alleging that police climbed through a window into their home without a search warrant and shot their dogs.

The Pensacola News Journal reported the incident occurred Sunday around 10:30 p.m. when deputies entered the home of 22-year-old Travis Nicholas and 32-year-old Cristina Moses. Nicholas and Moses were awoken by the noise and handcuffed. During the incident, their two dogs were shot, with one officer claiming he had been bitten. One of the dogs was euthanized later as a result of the shooting.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that the officers were investigating an earlier case of aggravated assault. In looking for a second suspect, statements from the assault victim and witnesses led deputies to the home where they found one window open while all others were closed.

“An upside-down bucket has been placed beneath the open window with a footprint on it, indicating possible unlawful entry,” a sheriff’s office press release stated, noting that the officers made repeated attempts to have someone open the door.

When those efforts were not successful, the deputies entered the house through the open window.

The sheriff’s office said that upon entering the home, two pit bulls became aggressive, with one biting a deputy’s leg. He shot the dog when it came at him a second time. At this point the second dog ran toward the officer, which prompted him to shoot this dog as well.

The Pensacola News Journal presented more details about what might have happened: Earlier that day man named Wayde Morris was arrested for aggravated assault after allegedly coming at his ex-girlfriend and her father with a baseball bat and machete. A second suspect identified as “Travis” had reportedly pointed a gun at people. It is this second person that police were on the hunt for Sunday night.

Fast-forward to when Nicholas and Moses were awoken by police at their bedroom door. The couple stated that they didn’t hear knocking on their front door, and it wasn’t until the police were inside their home that the dogs alerted them to their presence.

“I opened the door, and there were six police officers pointing guns at me and flashlights, saying ‘Show me your hands. Get on the ground,’” Moses told the News Journal.

Moses stated that Nicholas was then dragged into the hallway.

The News Journal reported that the officers did not have a search warrant, but noted that entering a home without a warrant is permissible if there is probable cause, such as fearing someone is in danger or that a suspect could escape.

The News Journal reported Nicholas denying even owning a gun. Neither Nicholas nor Moses had been charged as of Wednesday.

While the incident is under review, the press release states the deputies involved are on administrative duty.

 

 

 

Arrest of Hugestown Borough Police Officer Robert F. Evans, Jr.

Philadelphia Division Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko announced today the arrest of Robert F. Evans, Jr. Evans, a Hughestown Borough Police officer, was arrested without incident this morning and has been charged in the Middle District of Pennsylvania via Complaint and Warrant with the distribution of oxycodone in violation of Title 21, United States code, Section 841.

Evans made an initial appearance in United States District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Scranton, at 1:00 p.m. today.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Philadelphia Division, Scranton Resident Agency; the Pennsylvania State Police; the Pennsylvania Attorney General Office, Bureau of Narcotics Investigation; and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office.

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Gloucester is Paying for Lourdes EMS Fuel and Housing But Still Has Not Received a Dime from the Company

Gloucester is Paying for Lourdes EMS Fuel and Housing But Still Has Not Received a Dime from the Company

Gloucester contracted with Lourdes EMS to take over the EMS service from the Fire Dept , This was done to cut tax payer cost.

To date Gloucester has not seen any payments from this company , but continues to pay for fuel and housing . Mayor and Council promised that this would be a great benefit to the city of Gloucester. I ask how?  The city collected hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from this service in the past and now we see nothing , I ask where is this money going?

I will be posting the fuel logs that were provided to us per an OPRA request.

7/4/02 Gloucester City Fire - 11 Years and Never Forgotten

A Tribute to A Few Fallen Brothers 7/4/02 

 web.jjay.cuny.edu/~tflan/documents/NJDFS/gloucester.pdf

 

 

Gloucester City July 4 2002 fire report.

web.jjay.cuny.edu/~tflan/documents/NJDFS/gloucester.pdf

gloucester -  

Video of Paterson Police kicking, dragging handcuffed suspect leads to federal suit

 

By James Queally/The Star-Ledger 

PATERSON — A group of Paterson police officers repeatedly punched and kicked a handcuffed, nearly unconscious suspect during a 2011 arrest, according to a civil rights lawsuit filed in federal court last week.

Captured on a surveillance video, the beating goes on for more than three minutes. The video shows officers surrounding 30-year-old Alexis Aponte and repeatedly kicking him while he’s restrained on a Paterson sidewalk.

One officer on the video takes a running start and drives his foot into Aponte’s ribs.

Out of the camera’s view, 32-year-old Miguel Rivera was knocked unconscious before he was handcuffed, similarly beaten and robbed by the officers, according to the lawsuit filed on behalf of Aponte and Rivera. The suit, which names the city, the police department and nine officers, is seeking an undisclosed amount of money in damages.

Paterson’s business administrator, Charles Thomas, called the video "extremely disturbing" and declined further comment.

Requests for comment from city police officials and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office were not returned. Mayor Jeffery Jones was out of town and unavailable for comment, Thomas said.

The arrest followed a confrontation at a Paterson sports bar between Aponte, Rivera and off-duty police officer Jose Torres, according to a police report. Torres contends Aponte shot at him, a claim denied by Darren Del Sardo, the lawyer representing Aponte and Rivera.

Aponte and Rivera were eventually charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses, criminal records show, and they pleaded guilty to lesser crimes. They were not charged with shooting at Torres.

The incident began about 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 3, 2011, at Augie’s Sports Bar in Paterson. Aponte and Rivera were involved in a fight with several bar patrons and a bouncer, according to the police report.

According to the report, Torres, who was not working for the sports bar, said he approached the men and identified himself as a police officer before physically removing Aponte from the bar.

Outside, Rivera allegedly threatened Torres, the report said. "You don’t know what you got yourself into, you’re (expletive) dead," Rivera said, according to the report.

The police report says Aponte fired a shot at Torres. But Matthew DiBrino, an attorney who represented Rivera on the criminal charges, said surveillance footage disproves Torres’ claim.

"The allegation that they shot at an officer is just simply untrue," said DiBrino.

However, one of the men may have pointed a gun at the bouncer before leaving, Del Sardo said. In an interview with police, Rivera acknowledged Aponte had a "silver handgun" and that he pointed the weapon toward the bar. However, Rivera did not say Aponte fired the weapon, according to the report.

After the bar fight, according to the report, Torres called police, who dispatched several officers to Kearney Street, where Aponte’s family lived.

Miguel Rivera displays the injuries he suffered during his arrest by Paterson Police in 2011.Courtesy of Darrel Del Sardo 

At the start of the video, officers surround Rivera’s vehicle with guns drawn. Two uniformed officers approach the passenger door with weapons trained on Aponte before an unidentified man in a white T-shirt pulls Aponte out of the car and hurls him to the sidewalk.

Aponte was handcuffed shortly after he was thrown to the ground, according to the lawsuit, which also claims both men complied with the officers’ orders.

The video shows two uniformed officers repeatedly kicking and stomping Aponte. One officer holds him down while another runs down the street and kicks him in the ribs.

"Officers that are coming to the scene and have no idea what’s going on are just running up and taking their free shots at him," Del Sardo said.

Two minutes later, an officer grabs Aponte by the ankle and drags him down the sidewalk while his hands appear pinned behind his back, the video shows.

Del Sardo said Aponte was robbed of roughly $900 and several pieces of jewelry. Rivera was knocked out as soon as the incident began and was also robbed, DiBrino said.

In the report, police said that they seized a handgun from the car and that Aponte and Rivera were resisting arrest.

Del Sardo argues the video clearly shows both men were defenseless.

"This was revenge," he said. "An act of street justice."

Rivera suffered a fractured orbital bone and a concussion, Del Sardo said. Aponte suffered bruised ribs and multiple lacerations.

Aponte remains in prison, serving up to four years on the weapons charge, while Rivera is free and on probation.

While the incident happened nearly two years ago, Del Sardo said his clients waited to bring a complaint against the officers for fear it would affect their criminal case.

Many of the officers named in the suit are veteran officers with 10 to 18 years’ experience, records show. In addition to Torres, detectives Spencer Finch, Robert Orozco, Alex Cruz and Gray Robert Mercado are named in the suit, as are superior officers Lt. Ronald Humphrey and sergeants Donato Deangelis, Edwin Rodriguez and Bert Ribeiro.

Alexander Shalom, policy counsel for the state’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said he has received dozens of complaints alleging Paterson police officers were involved in acts of violence since 2010, a stark increase from previous years.

But he said the video of Aponte and Rivera’s arrest was particularly disturbing.

"The violence here was quite stark," Shalom said. "It’s certainly not unheard of in either New Jersey or nationwide, but this was particularly difficult to watch because of the sheer amount of force used and the defenselessness of the suspect."

 

UPDATE -- Two Off Duty Gloucester City Police Officers Involved in Bar Fight, One Injured

Update - Our request for documents from Gloucester City was returned and they have no documents or records of this incident on file.

If anymore information comes available it will be posted.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This site has received several emails in regards to a fight at the new bar on Rt 130 in Gloucester City.

From what we can gather there was a retirement party for one of the cities police officers and two current police officers (off duty) we assume, started fighting with each other. 

One officer was injured (broken ankle) he now is on desk duty.

No word on the other officer.

Names were withheld until we can confirm this information.

If anyone has any more details in this matter, email them to [email protected]

 

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Report faults excessive legal payments by Medford, other towns

Jan Hefler, Inquirer Staff Writer

Until a new council took office, Medford Township paid a law firm hourly fees for services that "appeared to be covered" by its monthly retainer, the state comptroller said in a report released Tuesday that warned local governments to carefully look for overbilling of legal costs. "Public officials need to scrutinize their legal bills as if they were paying for them out of their own pocket - otherwise taxpayers are going to get ripped off," A. Matthew Boxer said in a statement after issuing his 38-page report that criticized "excessive and improper" legal payments. Medford, a town in Burlington County whose legal costs were nearly $700,000 in 2010, was among three townships and two school districts that Boxer singled out because of "significant outside counsel costs," which the report warned "presented a higher risk for billing abuses." The other towns were North Bergen, where an attorney was paid $18,000 a year but given no work for years, and West New York, where a law firm was paid the attorney rate of $150 per hour for secretarial work, including "taking messages" and photocopying documents, the report said. He also studied the Freehold Regional and Plainfield School Districts. Medford paid Parker McCay, its longtime legal firm, $579,000 in 2010. The politically influential firm over the years has had numerous South Jersey municipal contracts. The amount Medford paid included hourly bills for services that "appeared to be covered by the retainer," the report said. The $8,000-a-month retainer was supposed to include attending town meetings, drafting ordinances, and holding discussions with the town manager, but the town was billed $50,000 in hourly fees even for these services, the report said. In 2011, a new town council was sworn in after several members resigned, and it decided to get rid of retainers and hire a new law firm to be paid by the hour. Last year, its legal bills were less than half what Parker McCay had charged, said Township Manager Chris Schultz. "Unless a retainer is crystal-clear, black and white, it's open to interpretation," he said. Boxer's report recommends that townships review legal bills with an eye toward curbing duplicative and unauthorized services and overbilling. "There was some ambiguity as to the scope of the retainer agreement . . . which may have led to overpayments for legal services," Boxer said in an interview. A call to Parker McCay for comment resulted in an e-mailed statement from its public relations agency. "Over the last 16 years we have helped the township achieve significant savings by providing strong and consistent guidance in a variety of complex legal matters," it said. "The OSC [Office of the State Comptroller] declined to use this information in its final report. We have asked the OSC to reevaluate its findings." Councilman James "Randy" Pace said that before he was elected in 2011, he had filed numerous open records requests to find out how much the lawyers were being paid and then discovered they were also charging an hourly rate to review his queries. That, too, was supposed to be included in the $8,000 retainer, he said. "There are no surprises for me here," he said, referring to Boxer's report. Boxer said that he referred the case of a lawyer for North Bergen, who was paid a salary and received health benefits and a pension but did no work, to the Attorney General's Office for a possible criminal probe. He declined to name the lawyer, who he said has resigned. The report also said the midsize township paid another attorney, its solicitor, the highest full-time salary for a municipal official in the state - $208,000. Gov. Christie took the opportunity to criticize North Bergen's mayor, Nicholas Sacco, a Democratic rival who is also a state senator, for paying so much money to its lawyer. Speaking at a news conference in Mount Laurel on Tuesday, Christie called the scenario "outrageous."
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20130626_Report_faults_excessive_legal_payments_by_Medford__other_towns.html#JfK4I6E7JLlD9DRU.99