New Law Will Require Developers To Pay Towards Transit Improvements

(Trenton, NJ)(February 13, 2020)–Today, the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee released S368 (Cryan/Weinberg). The bill permits municipalities to require developers to make contributions for mass transit improvements.

“This legislation is important because it will make sure developers pay their fair share of mass transit costs associated with new developments. New developments create more demand on mass transit systems, and create more traffic in the area. New Jersey is one of the most densely populated states in the country, and we have some of the worst air quality in the nation,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Developers should be required to help offset the burden that their developments put on mass transit.”

New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country, with 1,213 people per square mile. New Jersey has been waiting to see improvements for many different transportation routes. For example, the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail has been waiting over a decade for an extension in Bergen County. Other routes waiting for improvements and expansions include the Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex (MOM) Line, the West Trenton Line, and the Northern Branch Corridor.

“Developers are getting a free ride. They are letting taxpayers pick up the tab for mass transit improvements associated with their developments. What’s even worse is that when developers build near mass transit, especially rail and light rail, their property values go up dramatically. They can sell housing units and rental properties at much higher rates, especially when they are next to new or improved transit systems. There are many transit lines that are waiting for improvements, like the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Line, the Monmouth Ocean Middlesex Line, the SJ Line, and many more, that developers are already benefiting from,” said Jeff Tittel. “Some of the profit that these developers are benefiting from should be captured back to help pay for improvements to these bus, rail, and light rail systems.”

Some states and cities use Transportation Development Districts to help generate revenue to pay for the costs of transportation infrastructure improvements in and around new developments. Some cities use value-added tax (VAT) to help compensate for increased property values.

“This is a step in the right direction, but we need to do more. We should be expanding Transportation Development Districts, or TDDs, as a way to capture more funding based on enhanced property values. These TDDs help coordinate and finance transportation infrastructure improvements. We should also have a value-added tax, like in L.A., San Francisco, and other cities. These taxes assess a benefit based on the increase in property values for developments near transportation, and benefits for developing transit villages,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “This legislation will make sure developers pay their share for mass transit improvements near their properties. Commuters and taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill.”

NJBIA Supporting Youth Wage Tax Credit Bill

The New Jersey Business & Industry Association is supporting legislation heard in the Senate Labor Committee today that would provide tax credits to employers who hire

workers under 18 years old.

The bill, S-718, is designed to help mitigate the impacts of youth hiring following the signing of New Jersey\’s $15-an-hour minimum wage law signed last year.

\”One of the unintended consequences of increasing the minimum wage so dramatically is an expected decrease in the employment of high school students,\” said NJBIA President and CEO Michele N. Siekerka, Esq. \”Our members have told us that as the minimum wage increases, they will be less likely to hire youth workers with limited skills or less experience.

\”Without this legislation, many young workers will have challenges attaining that after-school or summer-vacation work experience that has helped set so many of us on our way in the workforce,\” Siekerka said. \”This bill would make it more feasible for an employer to hire someone under age 18.\”

Specifically, the bill provides an employer with a refundable tax credit against the corporation business tax or the gross income tax, as applicable, for the extra wages and payroll taxes paid to a worker under age 18.

The bill is one of several measures NJBIA is advocating for to help mitigate the negative effects of the minimum wage increase. Others include an \”economic off ramp\” to suspend minimum wage increases in a severe recession or after a natural disaster, providing tax credits to businesses with 10 or fewer employees, and a requirement to study the impact of the minimum wage increase on the economy.

Indiana Legionnaires/Lawmakers Support Homeless Veterans

Cameran Richardson

FEB 11, 2020

American Legion Department of Indiana National Executive Committeeman Jerry Jordan helps during the homeless veterans donation drive at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis on Monday, Feb. 10. Photo by Ben Mikesell/The American Legion

Data from the Department of Veterans Affairs shows that the homeless veterans population in the state of Indiana has increased by 6 percent in the last year. As a result, anywhere from 300 to 400 homeless or at-risk veterans visit the food pantry at the Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation (HVAF) in downtown Indianapolis every month.

Together, the American Legion Department of Indiana and state lawmakers are helping those veterans in need by creating 500 care packages filled with non-perishable food and toiletries.

“Who better to take care of homeless veterans than veterans who understand the struggle when you transition out of the military, essentially leaving behind your second family, and you have to recreate yourself and assimilate back into civilian society,” said Department of Indiana Adjutant John Crosby.

The Helping Our Hoosier Heroes Donation Drive brought Legion leadership and Legion Family members from across the state to the fourth floor of the Indiana Statehouse the morning of Feb. 10 to fill grocery bags with the 3,000 care items stacked on tables. HVAF will be one of four shelter destinations to receive the care packages for homeless veterans statewide.

“This is coming at a really great time for us because our donations are down for the pantry and demand is high,” said Ashlee Walls, vice president of Advancement at HVAF.

The opportunity for the Department of Indiana and state lawmakers to work together arrived when homeless veterans issues became the charitable cause for the House legislative year.

“We are just overwhelmed by the service of Hoosiers to our nation. So policymakers want to do everything that we can to help support those who served our nation and served our state as well,” said Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives Brian Bosma. “We all understand the importance of encouraging that (military) service and supporting our veterans. So we were thrilled that The American Legion of Indiana stepped forward and said, ‘We’ll help you with this.’”

Donations for the care packages poured in from the Legion Family, lawmakers and community. “There’s been a lot of community effort come together for this,” Crosby said.

As House Democrats and Republicans came out of legislative session, Legionnaires walked around the tables with them to fill grocery bags, discuss homeless veterans issues and get their picture taken.

“They appreciate what we stand for, what we do, what we’ve done and they want to help us help others,” said Tommy Goul, a Desert Storm Air Force veteran and member of Post 437 in Selma, Ind. “Anytime we can give back to veterans is great. And anytime I get a chance to be a part of this, I’m all in for it.”

The homeless veterans initiative at the Statehouse also served as an opportunity for members to discuss American Legion initiatives, legislative priorities and membership. Indiana American Legion 10th District Commander Ron Patterson spoke with Rep. Steve Davisson’s about the need for more county service officers to help veterans with their benefits claims. Crosby said currently the Department of Indiana represents about 63,000 of the 85,000 service-connected disabled veterans with claims.

“These care packages will help (the homeless veterans) for a few days, but the bigger idea here is that we get them in touch with a service officer and show them that there is help out there to get off the street and get rehabilitated,” Crosby said.

During their conversation, Patterson learned that Davisson’s son, Jay, is a disabled veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan war who currently is a full-time caregiver for his wife who has a terminal brain tumor. Patterson extended the invitation to invite Jay and his wife into the Legion Family by paying for his dues. “We will help take care of him,” Patterson said.

Davisson handed Patterson a business card to make the Legion Family connection happen.

“A lot of good things are going on here,” said Department of Indiana Commander Allen Connelly. “(The Helping Our Hoosier Heroes Donation Drive) really helps to shine a light on the veteran community and problems with homelessness.”

source

https://www.legion.org

On-Site Assessment of the Mantua Police Dept.

PUBLIC NOTICE

MANTUA TOWNSHIP, NJ (February 13, 2020)–The Mantua Township Police Department is scheduled for an on-site assessment as part of its program to achieve accreditation by verifying that it meets recognized professional best practices.

Administered by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, the accreditation program requires agencies to comply with best practice standards in five basic areas: the administrative function, the personnel function, the operations function, the investigative function, and the arrestee/detainee function.

Agency employees and the public are invited to offer comments by calling 856-468-1920, option 2, on Monday, March 2, 2020 between the hours of 10:00am and 11:00am. Comments will be taken by the Assessment Team. Email comments can be sent to the police department at

mantuapd@mantuatownship.com

Telephone comments are limited to 5 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with the NJSACOP standards. A copy of the standards is available for inspection at the Mantua Township Police Department, 405 Main Street Mantua, NJ 08051. Please contact Lt. Shaun Butler at 856-468-1920 ext. 1546 for more information.

Anyone wishing to submit written comments about the Mantua Township Police Department’s ability to comply with the standards for accreditation may send them by email to Harry J Delgado, Ed.S Accreditation Program Director,

hdelgado@njsacop.org

, or write to the New Jersey State Association of Chief’s of Police, Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission at 751 Route 73 North, Suite 12, Marlton, N.J. 08053.

Address/Location

Mantua Twp. Police Department, NJ

405 Main Street

Mantua, NJ 08051

Contact

Emergency: 9-1-1

Non-emergencies: 856-468-1920

2019 Internet Crime Report Released

Internet-enabled crimes and scams show no signs of letting up, according to data released by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in its

2019 Internet Crime Report

. The last calendar year saw both the highest number of complaints and the highest dollar losses reported since the center was established in May 2000.

IC3 received 467,361 complaints in 2019—an average of nearly 1,300 every day—and recorded more than $3.5 billion in losses to individual and business victims. The most frequently reported complaints were phishing and similar ploys, non-payment/non-delivery scams, and extortion. The most financially costly complaints involved

business email compromise

romance or confidence fraud

, and spoofing, or mimicking the account of a person or vendor known to the victim to gather personal or financial information.

Donna Gregory, the chief of IC3, said that in 2019 the center didn’t see an uptick in new types of fraud but rather saw criminals deploying new tactics and techniques to carry out existing scams.

“Criminals are getting so sophisticated,” Gregory said. “It is getting harder and harder for victims to spot the red flags and tell real from fake.”

While email is still a common entry point, frauds are also beginning on text messages—a crime called smishing—or even fake websites—a tactic called pharming.

“You may get a text message that appears to be your bank asking you to verify information on your account,” said Gregory. “Or you may even search a service online and inadvertently end up on a fraudulent site that gathers your bank or credit card information.”

Individuals need to be extremely skeptical and double check everything, Gregory emphasized. “In the same way your bank and online accounts have started to require two-factor authentication—apply that to your life,” she said. “Verify requests in person or by phone, double check web and email addresses, and don’t follow the links provided in any messages.”

“Criminals are getting so sophisticated. It is getting harder and harder for victims to spot the red flags and tell real from fake.”

Donna Gregory, chief, IC3

Shifts in Business Email Compromise

Business email compromise (BEC), or email account compromise, has been a major concern for years. In 2019, IC3 recorded 23,775 complaints about BEC, which resulted in more than $1.7 billion in losses.

These scams typically involve a criminal spoofing or mimicking a legitimate email address. For example, an individual will receive a message that appears to be from an executive within their company or a business with which an individual has a relationship. The email will request a payment, wire transfer, or gift card purchase that seems legitimate but actually funnels money directly to a criminal.

In the last year, IC3 reported seeing an increase in the number of BEC complaints related to the diversion of payroll funds. “In this type of scheme, a company’s human resources or payroll department receives an email appearing to be from an employee requesting to update their direct deposit information for the current pay period,” the report said. The change instead routes an employee’s paycheck to a criminal.

The Importance of Reporting

“Information reported to the IC3 plays a vital role in the FBI’s ability to understand our cyber adversaries and their motives, which, in turn, helps us to impose risks and consequences on those who break our laws and threaten our national security,” said Matt Gorham, assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “It is through these efforts we hope to build a safer and more secure cyber landscape.” Gorham encourages everyone to use IC3 and reach out to their local field office to report malicious activity.

Rapid reporting can help law enforcement stop fraudulent transactions before a victim loses the money for good. The FBI’s Recovery Asset Team was created to streamline communication with financial institutions and FBI field offices and is continuing to build on its success. The team successfully recovered more than $300 million for victims in 2019.

Besides stressing vigilance on the part of every connected citizen, the IC3’s Donna Gregory also stressed the importance of victims providing as much information as possible when they come to IC3. Victims should include every piece of information they have—any email addresses, account information they were given, phone numbers scammers called from, and other details. The more information IC3 can gather, the more it helps combat the criminals.

In 2019, the Recovery Asset Team was paired with the

Money Mule

Team under the IC3’s Recovery and Investigative Development Team. This effort brings together law enforcement and financial institutions to use the data provided in IC3 complaints to gain a better view of the networks and methods of cyber fraudsters and identify the perpetrators.

The new effort allowed IC3 to aggregate more than three years of reports to help build a case against an active group of criminals who were responsible for damaging crimes that ranged from cryptocurrency theft to online extortion. The ensuing investigation by the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office resulted in the arrest of three people.

Read the full

2019 Internet Crime Report

. To stay up to date on common online scams and frauds or report a crime, visit

ic3.gov

Select image to view full PDF report

Resources:

Full Report:

2019 Internet Crime Report

Press Release: FBI Releases the Internet Crime Complaint Center

2019 Internet Crime Report

Burlington County Operation Helping Hand Program Expanded Services

Defendants with offenses related to drug use will be offered treatment services

MT. HOLLY, NJ (February 13, 2020)–Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced that the Burlington County Operation Helping Hand program has expanded services into the municipal court that

serves Burlington City and Burlington Township, with outreach and treatment options being offered to those arrested on nonviolent offenses related to their drug use.

In partnership with the Burlington Township Police Department, the City of Burlington Police Department, and Solstice Counseling and Wellness Center (“Solstice”), the County Prosecutor’s Municipal Court Diversion Initiative (MCDI) seeks to provide intervention to those arrested for drug-related disorderly persons offenses or petty disorderly persons offenses by presenting the opportunity to enter treatment and have their court matter adjourned for a period of time.

At the successful conclusion of treatment, the defendant will return to court to face the charges, hopefully on the path to recovery so that the municipal prosecutor and municipal judge can consider their progress when determining the appropriate disposition or sentence in the case.

“We will continue to explore different options to provide support and assistance to people struggling with addiction,” Prosecutor Coffina said. “Being arrested puts one at a crossroads, and through the MCDI, we will present the opportunity for a person struggling with substance use to start down the road to recovery. We cannot relent in this effort if we hope to conquer this horrific opioid epidemic, which continues to destroy so many lives.”

Prosecutor Coffina emphasized that the MCDI is not a get-out-of-jail-free card, and

enrolling in a treatment program is no guarantee that the charges will be dropped or reduced. However, the municipal prosecutor and judge will give consideration to program participants who make a good-faith effort to pursue treatment, participate in counseling and embrace the recovery process. Assessments, referrals to an appropriate treatment program for each participant, and assistance with aftercare will be provided by Solstice.

The MCDI program is focused specifically on defendants charged with nonviolent offenses in municipal court. Eligible defendants must be referred by a police officer from the City of Burlington or Burlington Township police departments, or by the municipal prosecutor who prosecutes cases in the joint municipal court.

“We are grateful to Burlington County Assignment Judge Jeanne T. Covert, Municipal Court Presiding Judge Dennis McInerney, Municipal Prosecutor Dan Gee, Burlington Township Public Safety Director Bruce Painter, and City of Burlington Police Chief John Fine for their enthusiastic support of this initiative,” Prosecutor Coffina added. “We look forward to working with them and their agencies to offer help to people whose offenses are driven by addiction rather than malice, while still holding them accountable for their actions.”

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This is the third round of Operation Helping Hand that has been launched in Burlington County by the Prosecutor’s Office. During May and August last year, recovery specialists responded to calls around the clock from local police officers to offer support and access to treatment to individuals soon after they had been revived with naloxone following an overdose, were arrested or were simply struggling with addiction.

The pilot MCDI is expected to run through at least August 2020. In addition, this month the Prosecutor’s Office and law enforcement agencies throughout Burlington County are again making recovery specialists available on a 24/7 basis to anyone they believe could benefit from substance abuse treatment or counseling. This initiative, in partnership with the nonprofit City of Angels, will run throughout the month of February, and be reprised in May and July 2020.

Last year, City of Angels recovery specialists had a greater than 80% success rate in having people agree to recovery coaching, and ultimately, over 33% of the people with whom this connection was made went into treatment.

Operation Helping Hand is a law enforcement-initiated outreach program funded through grants from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and administered by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. The Prosecutor’s current Operation Helping Hand program also includes recovery coach training (see here for more information), a veteran’s initiative, and support for the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department’s Hope One mobile outreach program and the County’s forthcoming recovery resource center, which is expected to open in the summer.

Operation Helping Hand is one of three BCPO initiatives aimed at combatting the opioid epidemic.

Operation Safe Overnight, which began in November 2018, focuses on saving lives and increasing enforcement activity at hotels and motels that have experienced overdoses and drug-related criminal activity. Through this program, with the support of Virtua Health, the BCPO has provided Narcan to county hotels and has also trained hotel employees how to use it to reverse an overdose and save a person’s life.

Straight … to Treatment is a program that allows people to walk off the street and into police stations in three municipalities to seek treatment for drug addiction, regardless of whether they are insured or live in Burlington County.

The Straight … to Treatment program began in Evesham Township in early 2018, expanded to Pemberton Township in September 2018, and to the City of Burlington in April 2019. It has helped connect over 200 people to treatment so far.

Straight … to Treatment Locations and Hours of Operation

Evesham Twp. Police Department, 984 Tuckerton Road, Evesham Township Mondays: noon – 7 p.m.

Pemberton Twp. Police Department, 500 Pemberton-Browns Mills Road, Pemberton Twp. Tuesdays: noon – 6 p.m.

City of Burlington Police Department, 525 High Street, City of Burlington Wednesdays and Thursdays: noon – 6 p.m.

Opioid Treatment

10 People Charged in $1.5 Million Fraud Scheme; 3 Are From Gloucester City

CAMDEN CITY, N.J.(February 14, 2020) – Ten people from South Jersey and Philadelphia have been charged with participating in a scheme to defraud individuals, companies, and financial institutions by misappropriating the victims’ bank account information and using that information to withdraw over $1.5 million in funds to which they were not entitled, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.

Kayla Massa, 22, of Gloucester City; Leire Massa, 19, of Laurel Springs; William Logan, 22, of Gloucester City; Jordan Herrin, 22, of Berlin; Erasmo Feliciano, 19, Laurel Springs; Kevin McDaniels, 18, of Sicklerville; Jabreel Martin, 20, of Philadelphia; Dezhon McCrae, 20, of Penns Grove, New Jersey; Andrew Johnson, 21, of Gloucester City; and Alex Haines 27, of Woodbury; are charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court today and on Feb.13, 2020.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Postal inspectors connected stolen postal money orders to a series of fraudulent bank account activities at various area banks. They discovered a network of individuals in the Sicklerville, Clementon, and Gloucester City areas who posted advertisements on Instagram and Snapchat, offering people the ability to make “quick cash” if they banked at certain institutions. Some members of the conspiracy then acquired individuals’ banking information using a ruse, while others printed counterfeit checks that they deposited into the accounts. Members of the conspiracy also used victims’ debit cards to withdraw cash and make large purchases, including purchases of money orders. The group financed purchases of luxury items, including jewelry, watches, other luxury goods and apparel, vehicles, with the stolen funds. In most cases, the victims of this scheme suffered financial losses and credit problems as a result. The estimated loss at this time exceeds $1.5 million.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited postal inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Services, Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge John Walker; special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael in Newark; the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of U.S. Marshal Juan Mattos; the Glassboro Police Department, under the direction of Chief John Polillo; New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; the Woodbury City Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas Ryan; the Gloucester Township Police Department – Special Investigations Unit, under the direction of Chief David J. Harkins; the Winslow Police Department, under the direction of Chief George M. Smith; and the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office – Fugitive Investigations Unit, under the direction of Prosecutor Charles Fiore, with the investigation leading to the charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisa Shver of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.

EPA Says: No Need To ‘Warm Up’ Modern Vehicles In Cold Weather

CAR CARE COUNCIL BE CAR CARE AWARE

(NAPSI)—When the weather is cold, many motorists wonder if they need to let their vehicle “warm up” or idle before driving. In fact, today’s modern cars are ready to drive in cold temperatures without

You may have to bundle up before you drive in cold weather but your modern car is ready to go, with no need to idle a while

excessive idling.

The idea of idling before driving dates back to when cars were built with carburetors. With new fuel-injection technology, complex computer systems and thinner synthetic oils, drivers don’t need to warm up their cars before hitting the road.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “When a car idles for more than 30 seconds, it has several negative effects, such as increasing air pollution unnecessarily, wasting fuel and money and causing excessive wear or even damaging a car’s engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs and the exhaust system. Contrary to popular belief, idling isn’t an effective way to warm up most car engines.”

“Unless you are trying to defrost the windshield or warm the interior of your car, idling is not required for today’s vehicles,” said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. “In most cases, idling longer than 30 seconds is unnecessary, even on the coldest days. The best way to warm up your car’s engine is to drive gently at the start. Remember, a vehicle gets zero miles per gallon when idling and the result is lower fuel economy and wasted money.”

The Car Care Council has a free 80-page Car Care Guide for motorists that features several pages of fuel economy and environmental awareness tips. Available in English and Spanish, the popular guide uses easy-to-understand, everyday language rather than technical automotive jargon and fits easily in a glove box.

The non-profit Car Care Council is the source of information for the “Be Car Care Aware” consumer education campaign promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair to consumers.

To order a free copy of the popular Car Care Guide, visit the council’s consumer education website at

www.carcare.org

Step-Brother Sentenced for Brutal Killing of his Sister in Camden City

Camden City, N.J. — A Camden City man was sentenced to 27 years in prison for the brutal killing of his sister inside the family home, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Camden County Police Chief Joseph D. Wysocki.

Ramike Medina-Brown, 24, of Camden City (photo)was sentenced to 27 years subject to the No Early Release Act by Judge Gwendolyn Blue. Acting First Assistant Prosecutor Mary Ellen Murphy prosecuted the matter for the State.

Medina-Brown pled guilty Jan. 10, 2020 to killing his 53-year-old sister, Eileen “Tweety-Bird” Brown inside the home where he lived with the elderly Brown parents, who had adopted him at the age of five.

Eileen Brown was the biological daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Brown. Brown went to her parents’ home May 25, 2019, to assist in caring for her elderly mother. Detectives learned that Mr. and Mrs. Brown later left their home to celebrate Memorial Day with another daughter and her husband, leaving Brown and Medina-Brown in the family home together.

Family members became concerned when Brown never arrived at her sister’s home for dinner. When the family arrived back to their home that evening, they found Brown’s body in the basement. She had been fatally stabbed multiple times.

Detective Brad Redrow of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit and Detective Sean Miller of the Camden County Metro Police Department tracked down surveillance footage of Medina-Brown leaving the family home in a cab alone that afternoon carrying several bags.

With cooperation from Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) Police, Redrow and Miller located additional footage of Medina-Brown pushing through a gate at a PATCO Station in Philadelphia. DRPA Police found two bags of bloody clothing that Medina-Brown threw in the trash and on the train tracks at the station.

Medina-Brown was captured in New York City June 15, 2019, where he fled after killing Eileen.

Under No Early Release Act guidelines, Medina-Brown must serve nearly 23 years before becoming eligible for parole.