4 Tips on How to Use Social Media to Improve Your Small Business

Did you know that77.6% of small businesses use social media to promote their businesses?

Facebook is the most popular platform for small businesses to use, followed by LinkedIn, Twitter, Google, their own blog, Pinterest, and Instagram.

So if you’re a small business who is looking to improve your business with social media, then you need to discover our top tips on how you can use social media to boost your business.

Be Discoverable

One of the most important things to do to improve your social media efforts is to make sure your business is discoverable. Whether your business is on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, you need to make sure you are using the right keywords so people can find your business.

Place your keywords in category tags, description boxes, and photos, to ensure your business has maximum coverage. But remember not to keyword stuff, ensure that your phrasing is natural.

Use Statistics and Analyse Your Results

Understanding Facebook statistics

can greatly impact the success of your social media efforts. For example, if you know who your audience is, where you can find them online, and what time or days they use Facebook then you should be able to target your key audience using carefully thought out campaigns. This works with other platforms too, so make sure you research who is most prominent on each channel and what time they use it most.

You can also use your own Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn statistics to figure out what type of content creates the most engagement and what your audience wants to see. Once you’ve worked out what works best make sure you create more content like it.

Create Relevant Content

So many businesses and brands make the mistake of creating content that their audience doesn’t care about. When it comes to social media you need to make sure that you create relevant content for your audience. For example, create useful how-to blogs about your products, create exciting videos about your business, and post images that your followers want to see.

The best way to find out what is relevant is by testing the waters and seeing what your audience responds and interacts with most. If you get the most engagement from posting photos and videos, then focus your content in this format.

Don’t Promote Yourself Too Much

Businesses that always post about their products or services often lose followers and don’t gain much engagement, that’s because your audience doesn’t always want to be sold your business, they also want fun content. The social media rule of thumb is to post 80% of your content so that it can inform, educate, or entertain your audience. The other 20% of your content can be directly promoting your business.

NJBIA VP Mike Wallace Selected as 2020 Lead NJ Fellow

NJBIA Vice President Michael Wallace has been chosen as a 2020 Lead New Jersey Fellow, joining a select group of business, government and nonprofit leaders who will spend the next 12 months exploring major public policy issues facing New Jersey and identifying solutions.

Lead New Jersey

Fellows, who are already leaders in their companies and communities, hone their leadership skills by studying the issues that have the greatest impact on New Jersey residents\’ lives and then work with other talented leaders to shape improvements.

\”NJBIA is proud to have Mike selected to be part of Lead New Jersey\’s Class of 2020,\” said NJBIA President & CEO Michele Siekerka, Esq. \”Mike\’s experience leading NJBIA\’s advocacy efforts on labor, workforce development, manufacturing, apprenticeships and job training policies makes him an ideal candidate for Lead New Jersey\’s program.\”

A resident of Sewell in Gloucester County, Wallace joined NJBIA in 2015, after having worked as a legislative aide to state Senator Fred Madden (D-4). A graduate of the University of Delaware, Wallace also previously worked as an aide to former Camden Mayor Dana Redd and Gov. Jon Corzine.

Upon completion of the program, Wallace will be part of a distinguished alumni comprised of more than 1,600 Lead New Jersey fellows who have graduated over the past 34 years, including NJBIA\’s Chief Government Affairs Officer Chrissy Buteas (2008) and Chief Business Relations Officer Wayne Staub, a member of the Class of 2019 honored on Dec. 5 at the Princeton Marriott at Forrestal.

Lead New Jersey educates, empowers and engages talented leaders to create systemic change around New Jersey\’s most challenging issues. Going into its 34th year, LNJ boasts an alumni base of more than 1,600 Fellows, including corporate and nonprofit executives and elected and appointed government officials. For more information, go to

www.leadnj.org

Pepco Holdings Taps Derrick Dickens to Lead New Customer Operations Role

Dickens to lead customer-focused initiatives across the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey

WASHINGTON, D.C.

(December 10, 2019) – Pepco Holdings has named Derrick Dickens, senior vice president of Customer Operations and Chief Customer Officer, filling a new position developed to bring greater focus to the programs and initiatives that will transform the future of energy service and drive a premier experience for Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power and Pepco customers.

Dickens is currently vice president of Technical Services at BGE, Pepco Holdings’ sister Exelon company, where he oversees the investment strategy, vegetation management, project management, and electric distribution engineering functions. In this role, he has delivered innovative solutions to projects, developed new approaches to operational challenges, and utilized new technologies to advance the company’s reliability performance.

“Derrick brings the leadership, passion and the focus on innovation that will help us bring creative new programs and initiatives to market for our customers,” said Dave Velazquez, president and CEO of Pepco Holdings, which includes Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power and Pepco. “We are constantly dedicated to providing the safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable energy service our customers have come to expect. I know Derrick will help us elevate our level of service and set a new bar for the level of service we provide.”

Before joining BGE in 2016, Dickens was director of Advanced Meter Infrastructure at PECO in Philadelphia, where he was responsible for implementing the company’s Smart Future Greater Philadelphia project, which included the installation of smart grid and smart meter technology. He joined the Exelon family of companies in 2004 as PECO’s program manager of Distribution Reliability and Maintenance and has held roles in reliability and maintenance planning, public relocations, regional engineering, technical services, training and field operations. Prior to his work at PECO, Dickens worked for about 18 years in the telecommunication and software industries.

Dickens is actively involved in the Maryland nonprofit community, including serving on the boards of the B&O Railroad Museum and Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore.

He will assume his new position effective January 1, 2020.

# # #

Pepco Holdings, a unit of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation’s leading energy provider, oversees the operation of Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power and Pepco. The companies provide safe and reliable energy service to approximately 2.1 million customers in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Delaware and New Jersey.

Can CBD Oil Help with Essential Tremor?

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(Dec. 10, 2019)–If you’re not fully clued up with the condition, essential tremor is a nerve disorder that is characterized by uncontrollable shaking in different areas or sides of the body.

The most commonly affected areas include the hands, arms, head, larynx (voice box), tongue and chin and, although rare, the lower body can also be affected.

The condition is not life-threatening providing that the affected individual is not restricted in their ability to care for themselves.

Most of those suffering will be able to live normal lives, although difficulty in everyday tasks may be found (eating, dressing, writing etc.).

If the case in which tremors become severe, disability may be caused and full-time carers may be required.

What causes essential tremor?

Prevention and treatment of essential tremor are difficult without first knowing what causes the condition and, although mountains of research have been conducted, the true cause is not fully understood.

As of current, it is thought that

abnormal electrical brain activity

that causes tremor is processed through the thalamus, a structure deep in the brain responsible for coordination and muscle activity. Genetics is thought to be responsible for approximately half of all of those suffering from the condition with children born to a parent suffering essential tremor having a 50% chance of inheriting the gene responsible, although they may never experience any of the symptoms.

Essential tremor does become more pronounced with age, most notably between the ages of 40 and 50, although it can strike at any age, affecting up to 10 million people in the US alone.

What are the symptoms of essential tremor?

The symptoms of essential tremor are the most likely areas that

CBD will be able to improve

with consistent CBD dosages.

Some of the most noteworthy symptoms surrounding essential tremor include the following:

Uncontrollable shaking occurring for brief periods of time

Shaky voice

Nodding head

Tremors worsening during emotionally stressful periods

Tremors worsening with purposeful movement

Tremors lessening with rest

Balance problems (in some rare cases)

However, the characteristic uncontrollable shaking found with those suffering from ET is not unique to the condition and many others can also cause tremors. With Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), brain tumors, metabolic abnormalities, and drug withdrawal, just to name a few – it can be very difficult to pinpoint the condition.

Typical essential tremor treatments

As of current, for those looking for treatment for essential tremors, there are

three main options

to choose from with medication, surgery and MRI-guided focused high-intensity ultrasound.

Medication

The first choice of treatment comes in the form of medication and, specifically oral drugs can significantly reduce the severity of essential tremor.

Some typical medications include:

Propranolol (Inderal)

Primidone (Mysoline)

Gabapentin (Neurontin)

Topiramate (Topamax)

Benzodiazepines Lorazepam (Ativan)

Clonazepam (Klonopin)

Diazepam (Valium)

Alprazolam (Xanax)

Botox injections – particularly effective for those suffering vocal and head tremors.

Surgery

If and when it comes to surgery, patients have the option to choose a Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) procedure.

The surgery, a treatment option for those suffering from severe tremors involves the implantation of electrical leads into the thalamus. This area of the brain, responsible for coordination and muscle control, is the area thought to be responsible for the tremors felt.

MRI-guided focused high-intensity ultrasound

Finally, MRI can be used to focus ultrasound with the goal to destroy the tissue in the thalamus.

Patients will remain awake during the procedure, something that isn’t comfortable for many of those suffering who opt against.

CBD oil to treat essential tremor

This moves us on to the alternative treatment of

CBD

to treat essential tremor and with evidence surrounding the potential for the treatment of MS, Parkinson’s and substance withdrawal, it’s something that has perked the interest of health professionals around the world.

When it comes to the power of CBD, it’s the direct connection to the endocannabinoid system (ECS) that comes with the most interest. The ECS and the endocannabinoid receptors are the main regulators of the majority of the body’s functions (pain, hunger, emotions etc.). That means that when there’s a problem with the body, it’s up to that system to begin the healing processing and, when consuming CBD, this

healing process is enhanced

with the increased production of endocannabinoids.

When the

CBD oil

is used for the purpose of treating essential tremor, the cannabinoids within the oil are able to both target and regulate the ESC receptors, located in both the brain and throughout the body, responsible for muscle movement. These receptors can be regulated by the CBD oil that enables relaxation, reduces inflammation and, as a result, eases the symptoms of tremors and confirming CBD can effectively act as a neuroprotectant – something that

studies have confirmed

The University of California in San Diego Research has officially begun an FDA approved trial to view the effects of CBD and THC on essential tremor. Although we’re still waiting on the outcome at this current moment in time, the lead investigator, Dr. Fatta Nahab, is one individual that’s very excited about the prospect of a symptom reliever:

“Essential tremor is 10 times more common than Parkinson’s and yet nobody really knows about essential tremor. That we’re finally getting to a potential therapeutic option in an area that is untapped is a big deal.”

image courtesy of unsplash.com

Atlantic City Electric Gift of Energy Program

Program helps bring customers a brighter winter and holiday season

MAYS LANDING, N.J.

(Dec. 9, 2019) – This holiday season, Atlantic City Electric hopes to bring out the spirit of giving in local communities through its Gift of Energy program. For those looking for a last-minute holiday gift idea, Atlantic City Electric offers the Gift of Energy. From helping someone meet their energy needs to giving a gift that’s bright, literally, this program has you covered.

The Gift of Energy allows anyone to purchase credits for Atlantic City Electric customers—including family and friends—that go toward their winter energy bills. The Gift of Energy is an easy way to treat someone you care for this holiday season – all from the comfort of your home or personal winter wonderland.

All that is needed is the customer’s name and address or phone number associated with the account. The gift will appear on the recipient’s future energy bill as a credit.

Those interested in making a purchase can either do so

online,

by calling 800-642-3780 or visiting their nearest Atlantic City Electric payment center.

For those struggling to pay their energy bills, Atlantic City Electric also reminds customers that millions of dollars in state and federal energy assistance is still available. To learn more about state and local payment assistance programs, visit

atlanticcityelectric.com/energyassistance

or call 800-642-3780.

Readers are encouraged to visit

The Source

Atlantic City Electric’s online news room. For more information about Atlantic City Electric, visit

atlanticcityelectric.com

. Follow the company on Facebook at

facebook.com/atlanticcityelectric

and on Twitter at

twitter.com/acelecconnect

Our mobile app is available at

atlanticcityelectric.com/mobileapp

Approval Given for Railcar Carrying Dangerous LNG to Gibbstown Port

GIBBSTOWN, NJ–(Dec. 9, 2019)–PHMSA has approved a Special Permit to Energy Transfer Solutions LLC, a New Fortress subsidiary. New Fortress is looking to build an LNG facility in Gibbstown, NJ. The permit requests authorization for transportation of liquefied natural gas (methane, refrigerated liquid) by rail tank car. This material is currently not authorized for transportation by rail tank car although materials with similar properties are authorized for transportation.

Modern tank cars carry all types of liquid and gaseous commodities (image source Wikipedia).

“This proposal is fracking crazy. PHMSA is going to allow a rail tank car carrying explosive LNG through our communities and neighborhoods. Granting this special permit to New Fortress’s subsidiary will mean 100s of trains will be coming through our communities and neighborhoods carrying explosive LNG. Some of our train tracks go back before WWI and are not designed to handle this dangerous cargo. The dangers of a possible derailment, spill, or explosion would be catastrophic. This is an accident waiting to happen. We need to stop the federal government and President Trump from allowing that to happen. More importantly, the Murphy Administration and the DRBC need to protect us and stop Delaware River Partner’s LNG facility proposal in Gibbstown,”

said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

The rail will transport the LNG from Wyalusing Twp., PA to Gibbstown, NJ. Trains will be transporting 20 or more tank cars under the permit. The permit is good for two years.

“Trump’s PHMSA has sided with polluters over public safety. These trains carrying LNG are compressed at 600 to 1, so if an explosion happens, it can wipe out a neighborhood and be catastrophic .A train derailment carrying LNG will be much worse than what happened in Paulsboro, New Jersey when a tanker derailed and released 23,000 gallons of toxic vinyl chloride gas. A leak from any of those trains could instantly kill everything within 550 yards. A fireball could have a radius as large as a mile-and-a-half. The blast zone from an explosion could spread as wide as two-and-a-half miles,”

said Tittel. “

These trains will likely be close to homes, schools, businesses, fire-prone forests, critical ecosystems, and critical waterways.”

The safety analyses performed in the development of this special permit only considered the hazards and risks associated with the transportation in commerce.

“Transportation of LNG by rail prompts more fracked gas. Natural gas is primarily methane and is 87 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and can cause major climate impacts, while adversely affecting public health, like causing childhood asthma attacks, other respiratory ailments, and even premature death,”

said Tittel.

According to Army Corp.’s supplemental notice, the LNG product will arrive at the proposed structure via truck or tanker railcar. Approximately 13 trucks per hour would enter the site, 24/7. The proposed operations at the Site will generate approximately 15 trucks in and out of the facility per hour on average. Each truck would carry approximately 12,000 gallons of product.

“There will be close to 1400 trucks that would transport LNG to the site each day. The company will bring 3.5 million gallons of LNG a day to the port from truck or rail, this is equivalent to 2 billion gallons of natural gas. These trucks will be bombs on wheels coming through Pennsylvania and New Jersey,”

said Tittel. “

Bridge and river traffic would be greatly disrupted by a LNG port. The National Guard would have to close off bridges to allow tankers through, as happens in Boston.”

The NJ DEP have approved the Waterfront Development Permits for the LNG facility. The facility still needs approval from FERC and the Army. Corp and a 401 Water Quality Certificate from the DEP.

“Even though PHSMA acted reckless in approving this permit to transport LNG by rail, the Murphy Administration can still step up. The DEP need to do their job and protect our environment and public safety by rejecting Delaware Partner’s 401 Water Quality Permits. More importantly, Governor Murphy can put a mortarium on fossil fuel projects. Without an LNG, there wouldn’t be anything to transport,”

said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

“Even though the approval of this permit is a bump in the road, it does not mean our battle is lost. We will fight and keep on fighting until this disastrous LNG proposal is dead. It’s too important for safety of too many people.”

6 Reasons Why Men Hire Escorts

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(Dec. 10, 2019)–One of the most common reasons why men hire escorts is because they are not getting sexual satisfaction in their current relationship. However, there are other reasons, and you will be surprised that they are not all about sex. Here are some of the reasons why men hire escorts.

Partners don\’t make them sexually satisfied

Let\’s start first with the most popular reason, which is their partner doesn\’t meet their sexual needs. Men usually have high libidos, and although they love their partners, if they are not

satisfied with their sex life, it could cause them to look for sexual satisfaction elsewhere. It doesn\’t necessarily mean that they no longer love their partners, but they are looking for a way to achieve their sexual fantasies without any strings attached.

London escorts

are professional in what they do. They will provide their service for business, and they will be discreet, so there will be no calling or texting afterwards unless you initiate the communication with them.

One woman is not enough

Some guys are not content having sex with only one woman. No matter how much they love their partners and how attractive they are, they are still looking to experience sex with other women. It doesn\’t mean that all men are like this. As mentioned, there are some who are, and they want variety when it comes to sexual partners and experiences.

They want a deeper connection

Hiring an escort isn\’t always about sex. Sometimes, men want intimacy, which is more on the emotional side. These men and their partners may not have an intimate relationship as before because of various reasons, including tiredness from work and household chores, and taking care of the kids. They need someone that they can talk to and who will listen to them, and this is one of the reasons why some men hire an escort.

It\’s a convenient way to have company

Men have their sexual needs to satisfy, and this is true with those who travel a lot. Instead of having a relationship in every country they go to, which can be a hassle, they go for a professional escort service because of its convenience. Once they leave the city or state, they don\’t have to worry about anything like maintaining a relationship, since it\’s purely business.

The partner becomes more of a mother

In the first stage of the relationship, things may be running smoothly, and there\’s sweetness all over. However, as time passes by, things gradually change. That once sweet partner is now nagging about everything, including small issues. Men can get frustrated over this, and this might push them to look for an escort who will not nag at them during the duration of the service.

Men feel unnoticed

When men feel that they are not prioritized, they might seek attention from other women, including escorts. They will be their escort\’s priority while they are together, so they will feel wanted and important, which is something that they might want from their partners.

Professional escorts will have their clients as their priority, and they will do everything that they can to satisfy their needs.

image courtesy of pixabay.com

The Best CBD Gummies – Review and Buying Guide

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(Dec. 10, 2019)–We, here at

MarijuanaBreak

, will stop at nothing to find the

best CBD gummies

out there. We recognize that there are a lot of great brands with top-quality products to choose from. However, in our opinion, the CBD gummies in this article represent one of the best

CBD Products

available.

What makes these CBD gummies great? Well, for starters, they are made by some of the most successful brands in the CBD industry. Also, they tick a lot of boxes when it comes to quality and purity. These brands are big believers in transparency; that’s why they provide independent third-party lab-testing results for all of their products.

While transparency is hugely important, there are some other vital factors that potential buyers should consider before making a purchase. We recommend opting for brands whose products contain less than 0.3% THC. Ideally, you should look for CBD gummies made from CBD isolates, which are 100% THC-free.

We also recommend that you choose companies that use solventless extraction methods, such as supercritical CO2 extraction. This ensures that you won’t have to be concerned about any residual solvents in the CBD gummies you are eating.

All of the CBD gummies in this list are sourced from organically-grown, non-GMO hemp, which means they are free from herbicides and pesticides too.

When making your choice, you will also need to consider why you want to consume CBD gummies in the first place. Are you looking for the best CBD gummies for pain? Are you looking for CBD gummies to help you sleep? Or do you simply want to consume CBD gummies as a dietary supplement?

Whatever your needs might be, we hope that this list will help you to make up your mind. Check out these tasty CBD gummies from some of the top brands out there.

Green Roads – CBD Froggie 25mg ($4.95)

If you are looking for a reputable brand, then a great place to start is with Green Roads. They are an award-winning CBD company with over 10,000 retail locations. Not only that; according to the Brightfield Research Group, Green Roads is the largest privately-owned CBD company in America.

Green Roads offer a wide range of CBD gummies, which come in a variety of different shapes, flavors, and CBD concentrations. Many of these are formulated to help relieve specific conditions. For example, Green Roads CBD Sleepy Z’s contain 0.5mg melatonin per gummy and are intended for nighttime use as a sleep aid.

Green Roads describe its CBD Froggies as their “flagship edible product.” According to Green Roads, its 25mg On The Go! Froggies are pharmacist-formulated, supercritical

CO2-extracted

and triple

lab-tested

to ensure what’s on the label is what’s in the package.”

These On The Go! Froggies are a great place to start if you are trying out CBD gummies for the first time.

Pure Kana – CBD Vegan Gummies 500mg Bottle ($40)

As you can see from the price, these CBD gummies by Pure Kana are at the premium end of the market. So, what are you getting for your hard-earned money? Well, this bottle contains 20 gummies, and each one is packed with 25mg of CBD.

All of Pure Kana’s CBD gummies are sourced from a 99% pure CBD isolate, which is 100% THC-free. They are 100% vegan, and non-GMO, too.

Premium Jane – CBD Gummies 750mg ($55)

These premium-end CBD gummies are from the appropriately-named Premium Jane company.

The reason for the higher price is that Premium Jane’s bottle contains 750mg, whereas Pure Kana’s contains 500mg. In simple terms, Premium Jane’s bottle contains 30 CBD gummies, and Pure Kana’s contains 20 CBD gummies.

Premium Jane’s CBD gummies, just like Pure Kana’s, are made from a 99% CBD isolate, which is 100% THC-free. Also, like Pure Kana’s CBD gummies, each Premium Jane gummy contains 25mg CBD.

The similarities between these two brand’s CBD gummies do not stop there either. Premium Jane’s CBD gummies are also 100% vegan and non-GMO. They are organic and free from pesticides, solvents, and chemical fertilizers. Furthermore, Premium Jane’s CBD gummies are lab-tested for safety, purity, and potency.

Whether you opt for Premium Jane’s CBD gummies is largely a matter of personal taste. You may choose Premium Jane’s CBD gummies if you are looking for a slightly larger bottle with more gummies inside.

Hemp Bombs – High Potency CBD Gummies 750mg ($79.99)

As you may have noticed, Hemp Bombs High-Potency CBD gummies are more expensive than both Premium Jane’s and Pure Kana’s. Like Premium Jane’s CBD gummies, Hemp Bombs High-Potency CBD gummies come in a 750mg bottle containing 30 gummies.

Hemp Bombs High-Potency CBD gummies also contain 25mg of CBD per gummy. However, they do offer a less expensive variety, i.e., Original CBD gummies. These contain a lower amount of CBD, with 15mg per gummy. If price is an important deciding factor, then you can always opt for these instead.

Hemp Bombs CBD is extracted from industrial hemp that contains no more than 0.3% THC by dry weight. Similar to Green Roads, Hemp Bombs offers a wide variety of CBD gummy products. These include the aforementioned Original and High-Potency variety, as well as CBD Sleep Gummies. Each of these three varieties are sold in packs containing 5, 15, 30, or 60, CBD gummies.

CBDISTILLERY – CBD Gummies 750mg ($55)

Introducing the new and improved CBD Gummies by CBDistillery. CBDistillery’s 750mg bottle contains five fewer gummies (25 as opposed to 30) than Premium Jane’s and Hemp Bombs’ 750mg bottle. While there are only 25 gummies in CBDistillery’s 750mg bottle, each gummy is packed with an additional 5mg per gummy (30mg of CBD per gummy as opposed to 25mg of CBD per gummy).

As is the case with the other brands in this list, CBDistillery’s CBD Gummies are made from 99% pure CBD isolate, which is 100% THC-free. Not only that, they are gluten-free, allergen-free, vegan, and kosher. Each bottle of CBD gummies contains a variety of flavors, including raspberry-lemon, raspberry, and strawberry.

What happens when you’re in police custody?

Gloucestercitynews.net(Dec. 10, 2019)–It may be that, unfortunately, some of us will find ourselves in police custody during our lifetime. It can be a scary experience – not only for the person involved, but for their friends and family as well. So, what can you do?

This is just some of the information that you might find useful if you or a loved one has been placed under arrest. It may be helpful to you in some situations, but you may also wish to consult a lawyer before you decide on your next course of action.

What is detention?

This is typically when

law enforcement officers temporarily stop someone in a public place

, and don’t move them to another location. This can be to:

Ask the person to justify their presence and activity at that location

Identify themselves

This may happen if, for example, someone is loitering or acting suspiciously in an area that’s known for drug sales – so the officers may detain this person for questioning. If the officers have reasonable suspicion that the person may be dangerous, they may do a ‘pat down’ to search for weapons. They can go into pockets or bags without permission but, if they feel something, they may believe is a weapon, they can reach for it.

Other ways to search someone may include sniffer dogs, a metal detector, or a computer search for any outstanding warrants. A detention stop allows law enforcement officers to determine whether a suspect should be arrested, investigated further, or take no action. The officers don’t have to inform someone of their rights.

What does being arrested mean?

Law enforcement officers need probable cause to arrest someone, and a reasonable person would not feel free to leave because of the actions of the officers. The person is then taken into custody, and this could mean the person is taken to a police station or the person believes they will not be able to leave within a short time period.

Once arrested, the person must be advised of their rights by the officers before being questioned. This will include their right to remain silent, to have an attorney present during questioning, and to have an attorney provided by the state if they cannot afford one themselves.

A person also has rights to having a reasonable bail imposed

, to see a judge promptly, and to know about the charges against them.

When are you in custody?

Circumstances that suggest you’re in custody include:

Being physically restrained or handcuffed

Whether an officer informs you that you’re free to leave

Your personal property is retained by an officer (e.g. driver’s license)

If there’s a show of force, e.g. loud comments, drawn weapons

If you are in custody, and bail has been set, then you may wish to use a

bail bondsman

. This means that you can get help to post a bond and deal with the other expenses related to incarceration – and you can be released from custody within one to three hours after the bond is posted.

Being in custody isn’t a pleasant experience, but by understanding exactly what it means and what you and your loved ones can do to help, you can hopefully move past the troubling experience sooner rather than later.

Gray Fox Animal Hospital Gifts A Vest This Holiday Season

Veterinarians to Donate to K9 Unit

Woodbury Heights, N.J.—

One officer in the Woodbury PD will walk the streets a bit safer next week. Recon, a Czech Shepherd being handled by Patrolman Mitchell has just been fitted for his custom K9 Tactical Gear vest. Husband and wife veterinarians, Doctors Lee and Bernadette Spector, VMDs, will present the vest to Recon on December 11 at 12:30 p.m. on the grounds of the animal hospital.

The Gray Fox staff knows how important a ballistic vest can be for the officers of the K9 unit. \”We are thrilled to donate another vest to help protect Recon,” Dr. Bernadette Spector remarked. “We love knowing that the vests protect against knife and bullet wounds while the K9s protect Woodbury.” In 2017, K9 Evo, also of Woodbury City PD received a vest due to the generosity of Gray Fox. The doctors previously donated to a K9 in West Deptford.

The K9 unit of the Woodbury PD has quite a history; it was first established in 1908. Chief Tom Ryan successfully re-established the K9 unit in 2016 and Patrolman Tim Mitchell will join Patrolman Sheehan as the second K9 officer in Woodbury. In fact, Patrolman Mitchell’s ultimate goal in becoming a police officer was to work in the K9 unit. So, this is a dream come true for him. He and Recon graduated from the Atlantic County John “Sonny” Burke K9 Academy in March of this year.

The public, Woodbury mayor, council and others are invited to meet Recon and Patrolman Mitchell on December 11 at 12:30 p.m. at Gray Fox Animal Hospital, located at 207 Glassboro Rd, Woodbury Heights.