Some South Jersey Mayors, Legislators, Sheriff Work Together to Fight Sanctuary State Policies

The District 1 legislative team joined Cape May Sheriff Bob Nolan and local municipal officials for a conference call with local mayors to discuss the impact of New Jersey’s sanctuary policies on law enforcement and efforts to challenge the intrusive directives from the attorney general.

Last September AG Grewal said New Jersey is not a sanctuary state but in March 2019 the New Jersey

Immigrant Trust Directive

went into effect—essentially ending any cooperation between the State and Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) on immigration enforcement matters. See related articles below

“The refusal of Murphy and his attorney general to enforce federal and state immigration laws continues to endanger law-abiding citizens,” said Senator Michael Testa (R-1). “Not only is the Murphy Administration evading our laws, they are treating illegal aliens to drivers’ licenses, college financial aid, and lawyers to fight deportation. Sheriff Nolan has my unyielding support in his struggle to protect New Jersey families from crimes committed by illegal aliens who have no respect for our laws and no fear of the consequences.”

Sanctuary

directives

from Attorney General Grewal prevent law enforcement agencies from honoring federal detainer requests to hold illegal immigrants who have been arrested or jailed for criminal activity in New Jersey until they can be transferred to federal immigration authorities.

“Politics should never interfere with public safety, but these ‘liberal policies’ handed down by the progressives in Trenton are handcuffing law enforcers and preventing them from doing their jobs,” said Assemblyman Antwan McClellan (R-1). “We will continue to stand with the Sheriff and all members of the law enforcement community who work every day to keep our communities safe.”

Grewal’s directives also restrict other types of cooperation between local, state, and federal authorities that could help keep New Jersey families safe and blocks federal immigration authorities from accessing local law enforcement databases.

“Hard-working residents who follow the rules and do the right things are being treated like second-class citizens,” said Assemblyman Erik Simonsen (R-1), whose family includes immigrants who came here legally. “The governor and attorney general should be working on behalf of state residents, not putting them at risk.”

Sheriff Nolan signed on to a federal program, committing to coordinate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies when illegal immigrants are processed through Cape May County’s jail.

In October, Grewal moved to block the program. The issue is currently in the courts.

“I appreciate the support of the District 1 legislators who share my concern with irresponsible immigration policies that make illegal immigrants a protected class immune from our laws,” said Nolan. “Together, we will continue to fight for the interests of the residents of Cape May County and the rest of the state.”

The LD 1 team of Testa, McClellan and Simonsen said they will continue to provide Cape May County constituents with updates on legislative efforts to fight sanctuary policies and the ongoing court case.

AG GREWAL:

STOP CALLING NEW JERSEY A SANCTUARY STATE

It’s Official: New Jersey Is a Sanctuary State

Two People Shot Inside Maple Shade Apt., One Dead

MAPLE SHADE – Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Maple Shade Township Police Chief Christopher Fletcher announced that two people were shot inside a Lenola Road apartment building this afternoon, including a 22-year-old woman who later died at a Camden hospital.

The investigation began after Maple Shade police officers were called to The Arbors apartment complex just before 2:30 p.m. for a report of a shooting.

Upon arrival they found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds in the hallway outside a unit on the seventh floor.

Both victims were transported to Cooper University Medical Center in Camden, where the woman, Kayla Winkler, 22, was pronounced dead. The male, Ramek Bass, 24, of Philadelphia, was treated and released for a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

Winkler resided in the unit where the shooting occurred. She and Bass were acquaintances.

The details surrounding the shooting are being investigated by detectives from the Prosecutor’s Office and the Maple Shade Township Police Department. No arrests have been made.

Anyone with relevant information is asked to call Burlington County Central Communications at 609-265-7113, or send an email to tips@co.burlington.nj.us or tips@mapleshadepd.com.

Authorities Search for Suspect Allegedly Behind Collingswood Home Invasion and Fire

Camden City, N.J.(February 23, 2020)– – Investigators are searching for a man who reportedly broke into a Collingswood home, attacked one occupant and tied another victim up before setting the house on fire, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Collingswood Police Chief Kevin Carey.

Firefighters responded to a home on the 200 block of Crestmont Terrace just before 2:30 p.m. Feb. 23. After putting the fire out, firefighters found one victim suffering from injuries not caused by the fire.

After investigating, detectives learned a man allegedly broke in, attacked one victim and tied the other up while demanding money. He then set the house on fire before leaving, according to investigators.

One of the victims described the man as thin and darker-skinned with a short beard and dark hair wearing a yellow winter hat and a yellow and black zip-up sweatshirt.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Mike Batista at 856-676-8175 or Collingswood Police Sgt. William Lyons at 609-868-0266.

Tips may also be emailed to

ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org

Abdullah S. Bryant Sentenced for Dumping Solid Waste Material under Highways in Newark

TRENTON

– Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a man was sentenced today for illegally dumping huge quantities of solid waste from his rubbish removal business at unauthorized

sites underneath highways in Newark, N.J.

Abdullah S. Bryant, 41, of Newark, N.J., who did business under various names, including International Rubbish Removal, was sentenced to three years of probation and 300 hours of community service by Superior Court Judge Mayra V. Tarantino in Essex County. Bryant pleaded guilty on Nov. 22, 2019 to a charge of third-degree criminal mischief. The state had requested a sentence of 364 days in the county jail as a condition of probation, but the judge imposed a sentence of noncustodial probation. Bryant will be required to pay restitution for the costs of clean-ups conducted at the dumping sites, in an amount to be determined in a separate court hearing.

Deputy Attorney General Gezim Bajrami prosecuted Bryant for the Division of Criminal Justice. Bryant was indicted in an investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice Specialized Crimes Bureau, Environmental Crimes Unit, assisted by the DOT Office of the Inspector General, New Jersey Transit Police Department, and Amtrak Police Department. Additional assistance was provided by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Labor, and Department of Health.

The investigation revealed that Bryant illegally collected, transported and dumped more than 100 cubic yards of solid waste at a site owned by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) underneath elevated sections of I-78 and U.S. Route 22 between Frelinghuysen Avenue and the Northeast Corridor Rail Line. He also illegally dumped an unspecified quantity of solid waste on DOT- and Amtrak-owned property located under the Route 21 overpass near Poinier Street. The illegal dumping occurred between January 2016 and April 2017.

“We are committed to protecting New Jersey’s environment and the health of our residents using every tool at our disposal, including both civil actions and criminal prosecutions,” said Attorney General Grewal. “It is especially important that we hold polluters accountable when they dump waste and hazardous materials in disadvantaged areas, believing that no one will care. We absolutely do care, and we are stepping up our environmental enforcement efforts statewide to crack down on such crimes.”

“The judge in this case did not impose the 364-day jail sentence that we requested under the terms of the plea agreement, but Bryant is now a convicted felon who is responsible for paying restitution for the cleanups conducted at these sites,” Attorney General Grewal added. “These are not victimless crimes; they are crimes that victimize entire communities. We intend to work even harder to ensure that polluters face justice and that all of our residents can live and work in a clean, healthy environment.”

In October 2019, Attorney General Grewal issued a new Environmental Crimes Handbook to train law enforcement officers across New Jersey about the range of environmental crimes defined in the state criminal code and to encourage stronger enforcement efforts to root out such crimes and hold violators accountable:

https://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases19/Environmental-Crimes-Handbook.pdf

“We have zero tolerance for polluters who threaten our environment and the welfare of our residents through their illegal activities,” said Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Our Environmental Crimes Unit will continue to work with government partners and law enforcement at all levels to prosecute those who harm our communities by illegally dumping waste.”

In March 2017, the DOT Office of the Inspector General alerted the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) about the illegal dump site under I-78 and U.S. 22. Later that month, the NJ Transit Police alerted DCJ about the second illegal dump site under Route 21. DCJ investigators inspected the sites and found extensive quantities of solid waste at each location. The debris field under I-78/U.S. 22 was roughly 1,000 feet long by 500 feet wide. The debris field under Route 21 was about 1,200 feet long and 50 to 150 feet in width. The solid waste included, among other things, household items, discarded paper, construction materials, flammables, asbestos, medical waste, lead paint, and other hazardous materials.

Investigators from the Division of Criminal Justice examined the solid waste to identify suspected points of origin. They conducted numerous interviews at the source locations, identifying Bryant as the individual who was paid to remove waste from those locations. Bryant was not authorized by the DEP to collect solid waste or dispose of it at the sites in question, as required by state law.

The DOT and its contractors conducted a cleanup at the illegal dump site under I-78 and U.S. 22, and Amtrak hired contractors to conduct a cleanup at the illegal dump site under Route 21. The I-78 site is the same elevated stretch of I-78 that suffered severe structural damage in August 1989 due to an illegal solid waste dump that caught fire.

Deputy Attorney General Gezim Bajrami presented the case to the state grand jury for the Division of Criminal Justice Specialized Crimes Bureau, Environmental Crimes Unit, under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Jacqueline Smith and former Bureau Chief Andrew Johns. Detective Sgt. Steven Ogulin was the lead detective for the Division of Criminal Justice. Attorney General Grewal thanked the DOT Office of the Inspector General, New Jersey Transit Police Department, Amtrak Police Department, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Labor, and Department of Health.

Lawmakers Put Pennsylvania State Police On \”The Hot Seat\”

By Christen Smith |

The Center Square

House lawmakers grilled the Pennsylvania State Police on Thursday over the governor’s proposal to raise $136 million for the agency via municipality service fees that some see as akin to a tax increase.

“We were told this is a no tax increase budget, but in order to afford this, municipalities will have to probably raise property taxes,” said Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Fayette, during a House Appropriations Committee meeting.

“I think it’s up to the municipalities whether they want to raise taxes or find another way to fund it,” PSP Col. Robert Evanchick said.

Earlier this month, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed that the Legislature adopt a weighted formula that would charge municipalities for the state police services they use, rather than borrowing from the Motor License Fund to cover the bill each year. About two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s 2,560 municipalities rely on state police coverage instead of a local department.

Critics argue the service fee disproportionately shifts the burden onto taxpayers in poorer rural districts who would pay more per person than those in wealthier, more populated areas.

Prior proposals from Wolf’s administration used sliding scales and flat fees to generate additional funds, but never gained traction within the Legislature. The latest version is “predicated on station coverage costs based on incidents and coverage area and considers other factors like population and income,” according to the administration’s budget summary.

In Tioga County’s Delmar Township, for example, PSP would collect $32.92 per resident to fund the $92,000 it spends annually to maintain full-time coverage. Philadelphia residents, by comparison, would pay just 97 cents per person to cover the $1.5 million in PSP expenditures incurred there each year.

“Is this the best way?” Rep. Jim Struzzi, R-Indiana, asked. “We all want to make sure you have the funding you need, but is this the best way to fill that $136 million gap?”

“To add one more fee or tax or whatever you want to call it is a big ask for me,” said Rep. Clint Owlett, R-Tioga.

Evanchick defended the formula as a fair representation of expenditures at each of its stations and said the department tried to limit the impact on the municipalities with more needs.

“We are concerned about the rural communities because that’s where we should be doing our greater work,” he said. “We understand that these communities don’t have resources out there.”

Rep. John Lawrence, R-Chester, pressed PSP on the amount of free police coverage it provides at public events. In 2019, Evanchick said the agency staffed more than 111,000 events for free– including protests and little league baseball games. PSP also received $1.5 million in reimbursements for covering professional and college sporting events, he said, such as Eagles games at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

“We looted the Motor License Fund to pay the state police while the Eagles, Penn State and the Farm Show are getting a free ride on behalf of the Pennsylvania taxpayers?” Lawrence said. “We should really be taking a look at that.”

Evanchick again clarified that Lawrence’s statements weren’t “entirely true,” noting that the department had been paid for covering certain events.

Wolf’s budget also proposes a $13 million appropriation to fund four cadet classes to replace the 200 troopers expected to retire next year. Evanchick said PSP staffing levels are at a 10-year high, reaching 4,719 in 2019.

Rep. Chris Sainato, D-Lawrence, said despite the record amount of troopers currently employed, the numbers alone highlight the limitations of the agency.

“I think there’s room for both local and state police in Pennsylvania,” he said. “With your complement, you can’t do everything. It’s impossible, with your numbers, to solve everything out there.”

published here by The Gloucestercitynews.net with permission of

The Center Square

Oaklyn Bank Robbed Today; Can You ID This Man?

Camden City, N.J. (February 22, 2020)–– A search is underway for a man who robbed the TD Bank on the 1100 block of White Horse Pike shortly before noon Feb. 22, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Oaklyn Police Chief Mark Moore.

Surveillance footage shows the man enter the parking lot in a white SUV before backing into a parking spot. Detectives said he entered the bank and waited in line before passing a note to the teller demanding money.

According to police, the man left in the same white SUV with an undisclosed amount of money.

He’s described as a black male last seen wearing acid-washed blue jeans, a black hoodie, dark brown jacket, red winter hat, white sneakers and black glasses carrying a black bag.

Anyone with information on his identity is asked to contact Oaklyn Police Detective Paul Mason at 856-739-6083 or Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Mike Batista at 856-676-8175.

Tips may also be emailed to

ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org

Prayers Coming Your Way! Lower Township Police Officer Kenny Walker diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Lower Township–Police Officer Kenny Walker was diagnosed Tuesday, February 11, 2020 with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). That same day he was transferred from Cape Regional Medical Center to UPenn Hospital in Pennsylvania and immediately began chemotherapy treatment.

The word \”acute\” denotes the disease\’s rapid progression. It\’s called myelogenous leukemia because it affects a group of white blood cells also called the myeloid cells, which normally develop into various typ

es of mature blood cells, such as red and white blood cells, as well as platelets.

AML can sometimes spread to other parts of the body including lymph nodes, liver, spleen, and the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).

Please keep Kenny and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Donations can be made at

GOFUNDME:

Address/Location

Lower Township Police Department

405 Breakwater Rd

Cape May, NJ 08204

Contact

Emergency: 9-1-1

Non-emergencies: 609-886-1619

Ancora Psychiatric Patient Charged with Escaping

Camden City, N.J. – A Camden City man has been charged after running away from Ancora Psychiatric Hospital staff Feb. 18, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Berlin Township Police Chief Leonard

Check.

Marvin Smith, 41, is charged with Third Degree Escape from Parole, Fourth Degree Contempt of Court, Third Degree Burglary and Disorderly Persons Theft.

Smith was being taken back to Ancora after receiving treatment at an area hospital for a minor injury around 10:30 p.m. When the car Smith was in stopped at a red light at the intersection of Rt. 73 and Cross Keys Road, hospital workers said he took off running.

Officers from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, Berlin Township Police Department, N.J. Transit Police and Camden County Office of Emergency Management all responded to search for Smith. The Voorhees Township Police Department, Cape May County Sheriff’s Department and N.J. State Department of Corrections responded with K-9 units to track Smith’s scent. The Human Service Police also deployed a drone.

Detectives said they received multiple tips on Smith’s location around 7 a.m. Feb. 19 after a reverse 911 call was made. When officers responded to Franklin Ave. in Berlin Township, Smith was riding a bike and was taken into custody.

Throughout the investigation, detectives learned Smith broke into a resident’s shed before sleeping in another resident’s car. Police said he then went back to the shed and stole the bike he was later caught on.

Smith is in the Camden County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing.

All persons charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

ICE, and Law Enforcement Agencies Address Dangers of New York\’s Green Light Law

WASHINGTON (February 21, 2020)– – The acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director and federal, state and local law enforcement officials hosted a news conference today to address how the Green Light Law in the state of New York impacts public safety. Hosted at the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office in Troy, New York, 17 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies gathered to implore the State of New York to consider the ramifications of the Green Light Law.

“By restricting access to all DMV information, the Green Light Law stands as a dangerous roadblock to ongoing federal investigations into a broad range of criminal activity,” said Acting ICE Director Matthew T. Albence. “Information sharing is the lifeblood of law enforcement. The inability to access this information puts our sworn federal agents and officers, and the communities we serve, unnecessarily at risk.”

ICE is not asking the State of New York to provide a list of illegal aliens, or to identify which individuals in its databases are here illegally, Albence explained at the press conference. ICE needs access to the information – just like all other law enforcement agencies that work in the state – to support investigative efforts, not only in New York, but also across the country and around the world, he said. ICE’s ability to identify and dismantle a transnational criminal organization often depends on getting the right piece of information into the right hands at the right time.

The National Sheriffs Association, New York State Sheriffs Association, New York State Police Chiefs, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, New York City Sergeants Benevolent Association, Rensselaer County Executive, Rensselaer County Sheriff, Rensselaer County Clerk, Washington County Sheriff, Saratoga County Sheriff, Albany County Legislator, Saratoga County Clerk, New York Fraternal Order of Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) New York, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, the Erie County Clerk, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection participated.

Colorado/Las Vegas Drug Dealers Sentenced For Trafficking Heroin Seized in Secaucus Hotel

TRENTON

– Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a Colorado man was sentenced to prison today after being convicted at trial of trafficking 31 kilograms of heroin seized from his hotel

room in Secaucus by the New Jersey State Police and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Anthony R. Koon, 58, of Pueblo, Colo., was sentenced today to 10 years in state prison, including over three years of parole ineligibility, by Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Arre in Hudson County. Koon was found guilty on June 25, 2019, by a Hudson County jury of charges of first-degree possession of heroin with intent to distribute, second-degree conspiracy, and third-degree possession of heroin. Koon’s state sentence will be consecutive to a nine-year federal prison sentence Koon is currently serving as the result of a drug conviction in U.S. District Court in Illinois.

Koon’s co-defendant, Alan A. Alderman, 74, of Las Vegas, Nev., was sentenced on Dec. 13, 2019 to five years in state prison by Judge Arre. Alderman was tried with Koon in June, but the jury in that trial was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on Alderman. Alderman was retried and was found guilty on Oct. 10, 2019 of second-degree conspiracy to distribute heroin and third-degree possession of heroin.

Deputy Attorneys General Omari Reid and Heather Hausleben tried Koon for the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau. DAG Reid and Deputy Attorney General Amy Sieminski tried Alderman in October. DAG Reid handled the sentencing hearing today for Koon. The trial teams were assisted by Deputy Attorney General Sarah Brigham of the DCJ Appellate Bureau. The men were indicted in an investigation by the New Jersey State Police Violent & Organized Crime Control Bureau Trafficking North Unit and DEA’s New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, Group T-42. The New York Drug Enforcement Task Force comprises agents and officers of the DEA, New York City Police Department, and the New York State Police.

“The 31 kilograms of heroin seized in this case represent tens of thousands of doses of heroin that would have fueled addiction, misery and death if the DEA Task Force and New Jersey State Police had not interceded,” said Attorney General Grewal. “I commend the prosecutors in our Division of Criminal Justice who secured these verdicts and prison sentences, as well as all of the members of law enforcement who investigated. We are fighting the opioid epidemic on all fronts in New Jersey, expanding prevention and treatment strategies while aggressively prosecuting criminals like Koon and Alderman who traffic opioids into our communities.”

“We will continue to work with the New Jersey State Police, DEA, and our other law enforcement partners to target the major suppliers of opioids who are ruthlessly profiting from addiction in New Jersey,” said Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Interstate drug trafficking demands an interstate response, and this collaborative, multi-jurisdictional investigation is a great example of how we target this type of criminal organization.”

“The fact that troopers and detectives were able to prevent such a massive quantity of heroin from hitting the streets is a victory in and of itself, because somewhere among the thousands of doses seized was one that would claim a life or send another spiraling out of control, consumed by addiction,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan of the New Jersey State Police. “We are committed to combating the opioid epidemic through collaborative investigations and by continuing to focus our efforts on prevention through education.”

“Drug trafficking investigations have uncovered numerous means and methods used by criminal organizations to transport illicit drugs into our communities and homes,” said Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan of the DEA New York Division. “This sentencing is the final step in bringing to justice two traffickers responsible for delivering 31kilograms of heroin into our backyard. I applaud our partners in the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General for their dogged efforts in this investigation.”

New York State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett said, “As a result of interagency coordination and commitment among our law enforcement partners, two dangerous drug traffickers have been brought to justice. Heroin and other drugs perpetuate a cycle of addiction and criminal behavior which in turn threatens the safety and security of our neighborhoods. I want to thank our members and law enforcement partners for their tenacious dedication to tracking illegal drugs and intercepting them at their source before they can be distributed on our streets.”

The defendants were arrested on Feb. 1, 2016, after NYDETF Group T-42 developed information that a gold-colored Mercedes Benz linked to a large-scale narcotics trafficking organization had traveled from New York to a hotel in Secaucus, N.J. NYDETF Group T-42 enlisted the New Jersey State Police Trafficking North Unit to assist them in the investigation. The joint investigation revealed that several members of the narcotics network had traveled to Secaucus that day to meet and exchange heroin.

Initially, two men were stopped in a minivan after they left the parking lot of the hotel, where they were seen meeting with the occupant or occupants of the gold Mercedes. Those men, Oscar R. Felix, 42, of Menifee, Calif., and John M. Ulloa, 38, of Bronx, N.Y., were linked through further investigation to Alderman, who was determined to be staying at the hotel. Alderman and Koon, who was staying with Alderman, were arrested inside the hotel, where investigators discovered two gym bags secured with locks in a closet of their hotel room. Investigators executed a search warrant for the hotel room the following day and discovered 31 kilograms of heroin in the gym bags. They also found $14,300 in U.S. currency wrapped in black electrical tape when they executed a search warrant for Koon’s Jeep.

Felix and Ulloa pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy to distribute heroin and each man was sentenced on Dec. 11, 2017 to six years in state prison.

Defense Attorneys:

For Koon

: Michael R. Shulman, Esq., Jersey City, N.J.

For Alderman:

Assistant Deputy Public Defender Andre Vitale, Hudson County.