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Ken is a NJ trial attorney who has published 130 articles in national and New Jersey publications on litigation topics. He has been selected to write the new ABA book: DUI and Drug Possession Defense".

Thursday, November 15, 2018

OK for Rutgers University police officer to stop and arrest a defendant for DWI State v. Goines,

OK for Rutgers University police officer to stop and arrest a defendant for DWI   
State v. Goines, N.J. Super. Law Div. ( (Oct. 19, 2017) Docket NO. MA-37-2016 
SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY MIDDLESEX COUNTY
LAW DIVISION, CRIMINAL PART MUNICIPAL APPEAL NO. MA-37-2016

APPROVED FOR PUBLICATION November 5, 2018 COMMITTEE ON OPINIONS
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Brian D. Gillet, Assistant Prosecutor, attorney for plaintiff (Andrew C. Carey, Middlesex County Prosecutor, attorney).
Dennis Alan Auciello, attorney for defendant. R. J. JONES, J.S.C.
Rutgers University police arrested defendant Bentee M. Goines on July 17, 2016, in New Brunswick and charged him with driving while intoxicated. This appeal requires me to decide whether the officer had jurisdiction to stop, arrest, and charge Goines. The municipal court judge held that the officer lacked jurisdiction to do so and dismissed the charges. I reach a different conclusion.
I. Background
Rutgers University Police Officer Angelina Vartanova stopped Goines just south of the ramp from Ryders Lane onto Route 1. According to the officer, Goines illegally crossed a double yellow line to pass another car near a traffic circle where Ryders Lane and George Street meet. After seeing this, Officer Vartanova turned on the overhead lights to her police car and followed Goines to the Route 1 ramp, where she pulled him over. This occurred in the City of New Brunswick.
After performing field sobriety tests and making other observations, Vartanova brought Goines to the police station for an Alcotest. The test showed a 0.14% blood-alcohol level, and as a result, police charged him with driving while intoxicated, which violates N.J.S.A. 39:4-50. When Goines appeared in the New Brunswick Municipal Court to respond to the charges three months later, his attorney moved to dismiss the summons for lack of jurisdiction.
According to Goines, a 2004 memorandum of understanding between Rutgers and New Brunswick only allows Rutgers police to enforce motor vehicle laws on certain city streets. Without dispute, the offense and arrest did not occur on one of those streets. As a result, the municipal court judge agreed with Goines and granted the motion. This appeal followed.
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II. Standard of Review
The State may appeal to the Law Division as of right when a municipal court enters a pretrial order dismissing a complaint. R. 3:24(b). On appeal, both legal and factual issues are reviewed de novo. C.S. v. Middletown Twp. Bd. of Educ., 259 N.J. Super. 340, 343 (App. Div. 1992). The appeal here involves a purely legal issue. Thus, I must decide the issue anew, with no special deference to the municipal court decision.III. Analysis
The issue here is straightforward: Did Rutgers police have legal authority to stop and arrest Goines, as well as charge him with driving while intoxicated? More specifically, the question is whether Rutgers police had jurisdiction even though the offense took place on a New Brunswick street not covered by the memorandum of understanding between the city and university. In deciding this issue, several statutes come into play, and this appeal turns on their interpretation. Before getting to that, though, it is helpful to set out the law regarding jurisdiction generally.
Jurisdiction is the predicate to a legal arrest. State v. Cohen, 73 N.J. 331, 342 (1977). Typically, police officers can only exercise the powers of theiroffice “within the confines of the jurisdiction which employs them.” Ibid. Therefore, absent legislative or other legal authority, if a police officer arrests
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someone outside the officer’s home jurisdiction, the arrest is illegal. Ibid. In addition, evidence arising from the arrest will be suppressed. See State v. Williams, 136 N.J. Super. 544, 548 (Law Div. 1975) (recognizing that evidence from an illegal arrest is normally suppressed).
Knowinghowuniversitypolicedepartmentsfunctionisalsohelpful. Title 18A, which governs higher education in New Jersey, permits colleges and universities to create police forces with the approval of the Superintendent of the State Police. N.J.S.A. 18A:6-4.1. University police officers get the same training as State and local police. Ibid.; N.J.S.A. 18A:6-4.4. Moreover, unless restricted by the university, they have the same authority in “criminal cases and offenses against the law” as do other officers in New Jersey. N.J.S.A. 18A:6- 4.5.
Title 18A also gives university police departments authority to enforce traffic laws. N.J.S.A. 18A:6-4.7. It allows university police “while on duty andwithin the territorial limits of the municipalities in which [the university is]located” to “enforce the laws regulating traffic and the operation of motor vehicles” with the “concurrence” of the local police chief in the municipality where the university is located. Ibid. The Legislature enacted all these provisions in 1970. See L. 1970, c. 211, § 6. They came in the wake of civildisturbances on many of New Jersey’s campuses in the late 1960s. See Ralph
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A. Dungan, Rpt. to the N.J. Legislature Concerning the Recent Events and Disturbances at the Newark and Camden Campuses of Rutgers, The State Univ. (Mar. 31, 1969).
When originally introduced, the bill authorizing university police departments to enforce traffic laws did not include the “concurrence” language,which was added after Governor William T. Cahill conditionally vetoed the bill. See Governor’s Conditional Veto Statement to S. 764 (Sept. 17, 1970). According to Governor Cahill, [s]pecial police appointed pursuant to [the] bill [had] sufficient responsibility within the boundaries of the campus where they[were] employed.” Ibid. He went on to note that “[w]hile in some instances it may be desirable for them to render assistance to municipal police in connection with traffic control outside campus boundaries, this should only be done at therequest of the local police chief.” Ibid.
When read in isolation, Title 18A might suggest that Goines has a winning argument, namely, that Rutgers police did not have authority to stop, arrest, and charge him, because the facts leading to the arrest took place on a road not covered in the concurrence agreement (i.e., memorandum of understanding) between Rutgers and New Brunswick. If only Title 18A governed, then police logically might not have had jurisdiction for the arrest, and the arrest would therefore have been illegal.
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But the analysis cannot end with Title 18A. The Motor Vehicle Code,Title 39, allows “any law enforcement officer” to arrest someone who commitsa moving violation, or more on point, violates N.J.S.A. 39:4-50, which prohibits driving while intoxicated:
Any law enforcement officer may, without a warrant, arrest any person violating in his presence any provision of chapter 3 of this Title, or any person . . . violating in his presence any provision of chapter 4 of this Title. A law enforcement officer may arrest without a warrant any person who the officer has probable cause to believe has operated a motor vehicle in violation of R.S. 39:4-50 . . . regardless of whether the suspected violation occurs in the officer's presence ....
[N.J.S.A. 39:5-25 (emphasis added).]
The Appellate Division has held that the broad language of this statute (which contains no territorial limitations) permits municipal police officers to arrest traffic offenders outside the borders of their municipalities. 
State v. O’Donnell, 192 N.J. Super. 128, 130 (App. Div. 1983) (finding jurisdiction to arrest a drunk driver even though the arresting officer acted outside of the town that employed him).
When the court decided O’Donnell, N.J.S.A. 39:5-25 did not begin withthe phrase “[a]ny law enforcement officer,” but rather, only allowed a“constable, sheriff’s officer, police officer, peace officer, or the director” to
arrest those committing traffic violations. Id. at 130. The Legislature deleted 6
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the old language and substituted the phrase “[a]ny law enforcement officer” in1994 (post-ODonnell). See L. 1994, c. 184, § 4.
Nothing in the statute or legislative history explains why the Legislature made this change. Nevertheless, the amendment was part of a comprehensive set of revisions to the then-existing statutory scheme that prohibited driving while intoxicated. See ibid. (setting out the changes). For example, the revisions allowed police officers at the scene of a serious accident to test the driver for blood-alcohol levels. See L. 1994, c. 184, § 2. They also increased the penalties for refusing to submit to a blood-alcohol test (and made them more closely match those associated with a conviction for driving while intoxicated). Ibid.; Assembly Judiciary, Law & Pub. Safety Comm. Statement to A. 763 (March 21, 1994). And notably, they added language clarifying the ability of law enforcement personnel to arrest those suspected of drunk driving, even ifthe violation did not occur in the officer’s presence (assuming, of course, that the officer had probable cause for the arrest). See L. 1994, c. 184, § 4.1
The question that all this raises is straightforward: Why did the Legislature choose to substitute the phrase “[a]ny law enforcement officer” for
The added language reads as follows: “A law enforcement officer may arrestwithout a warrant any person who the officer has probable cause to believe has operated a motor vehicle in violation of R.S. 39:4-50 or section 5 of P.L. 1990, c. 103 (C:39:3-10.03), regardless of whether the suspected violation occurs inthe officer's presence.” L. 1994, c.184, § 4.
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the circumscribed list of officials contained in the original enactment? One could argue, as Goines does, that the change merely updated the language by omitting outdated law enforcement titles (constables, for example). This argument might seem logical at first blush.
But if the change represented simple house cleaning, there would be no need for the Legislature to use such a broad catchall phrase. It could have simply listed the types of officers to whom it was granting authority. Moreover, as noted above, the change is post-O’Donnell. A legislature is presumed to know about the judicial interpretations of its statutes. Chase Manhattan Bank v. Josephson135 N.J. 209, 227 (1994). Thus, the Legislature knew that courts had interpreted N.J.S.A. 39:5-25 to grant statewide jurisdiction for traffic offenses. That being the case, it would be odd for the Legislature to have usedthe phrase “[a]ny law enforcement officer” without knowing the ramifications. Goines believes this is the case, but I don’t believe the Legislature acted in sosloppy a manner.
Beyond this, one cannot look at the amendment in isolation. As noted above, the Legislature made the change while simultaneously strengthening drunk driving laws. This also suggests that the expansive language was no accident: it increased the number of officials with authority to arrest and charge those believed to be driving drunk. Thus, interpreting the statute to give
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university police additional jurisdiction is consistent with the theme of the amendments.
Additional jurisdiction is also consistent with the statutory scheme itself.“The overall scheme of [drunk driving] laws reflects the dominant legislativepurposetoeliminateintoxicateddriversfromtheroadwaysofthisState.” State v. Tischio, 107 N.J. 504, 514 (1987). Reading N.J.S.A. 39:5-25 to expand the number of police officials available to enforce these laws is consistent with this public policy. Moreover, like the interpretation given to N.J.S.A. 39:5-25 inO’Donnellthe interpretation I am giving that statute here “is consistent with therecognition that many motor vehicle violations, while not graded crimes,nevertheless pose an extremely grave menace to the public safety and welfare.” O’Donnell, 192 N.J. Super. at 130.
One might argue that the canons of statutory construction should lead to a different result. Generally, a specific statutory declaration prevails over a more general one. Williams v. Am. Auto Logistics226 N.J. 117, 126 (2016). Thus, because N.J.S.A. 18A:6-4.7 deals more specifically with university police and their jurisdiction, one might find that this statute should prevail over the more general jurisdiction set out in N.J.S.A. 39:5-25.
This argument has a major flaw: the timing of the enactments. The Legislature is also presumed to be aware of its long-standing enactments. Chase
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Bank USA, N.A. v. Staffenberg, 419 N.J. Super. 386, 402 (App. Div. 2011). Therefore, when it changed the language of N.J.S.A. 39:5-25 from a list ofdifferent kinds of officers to the phrase “[a]ny law enforcement officer,” the Legislature presumably knew university police were previously barred from conducting traffic control without the concurrence of the municipal police chief.
Even knowing this, the Legislature did not choose to limit the effect of the new language of N.J.S.A. 39:5-25 to exclude university police officers. The Legislature did not, for example, say that “any law enforcement officer, except for an educational-institution police officer under R.S. 18A:6-4.1” could stopdrunk drivers; it said any law enforcement officer could. This suggests that the amendment to N.J.S.A. 39:5-25 was intended to broaden the statute’sjurisdictional grant.
The next question, then, is whether the interpretation I am giving N.J.S.A. 39:5-25 can be squared with the language of N.J.S.A. 18A:6-4.7, which was left intact. It can. Nothing suggests that the Legislature added the “concurrence”language because it wanted to restrict university police officers from enforcing violations occurring right before their eyes. As the legislative history reveals, the goal of the “concurrence” language was to prevent university police from being overtaxed. F.J. McCaffrey, Statutory Construction 86 (1953) (noting how courts look at the purpose of and policy behind statutes when harmonizing
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them). The legislative history of N.J.S.A. 18A:6-4.7 does not indicate that the Legislature meant to thwart duly appointed and trained law enforcement officers from stopping drunk drivers who commit the violation in their presence. What’smore, to interpret the statute in this manner is illogical, as it would render these officers impotent to stop dangerous drivers when they see them.
Beyond this, N.J.S.A. 39:5-25 recognizes that a drunk driver requires immediate attention, as failure to respond immediately endangers the public. By contrast, N.J.S.A. 18A:6-4.1 is geared toward routine patrols and traffic control(as explained in Governor Cahill’s veto message). This is not a case where university police were called upon to conduct traffic control or routinely patrol outside the boundaries of their campus. Rather, it is a case where university police happened upon a drunk driver and needed to respond.
The situation here is akin to a municipal police officer who sees a violation outside the borders of the municipality that employs the officer. There are avariety of reasons officers leave their town’s borders. Three examples include prisoner pickups and drop-offs, meetings, and quicker routes to remote areaswithin their town’s borders. These types of examples apply equally to universitypolice. Logically, university police officers should not be handcuffed simply because they happen to be outside the borders of the university, just as municipal police officers are not handcuffed by the borders of their employing towns.
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Finally, nothing about the facts of the case involving Goines suggests that Rutgers police were routinely patrolling New Brunswick streets or conducting traffic control on those streets. Thus, the facts of the Goines case more aptly call for the court to apply N.J.S.A. 39:5-25.IV. Conclusion
It boils down to this: I find that Rutgers police had statutory authority to stop, arrest, and charge Goines on July 17, 2016. Thus, on de novo review, I deny the motion to dismiss. The decision of the municipal court is reversed, and the matter is remanded for further proceedings. I will issue an order consistent with this opinion.

Unreported case permitted police to request urine test after serious accident State v Verpent

 Unreported case permitted police to request urine test after serious accident State v Verpent
STATE OF NEW JERSEY,          Plaintiff-Respondent,  v.  KENNETH W. VERPENT,       Defendant-Appellant. _______________________                    Submitted October 11, 2018 – Decided October 25, 2018                     Before Judges Koblitz and Currier.                     On appeal from Superior Court of New Jersey, Law                   Division, Bergen County, Docket No. 09-09-1757
NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE                                APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION         This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court." Although it is posted on the     internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.                                                            SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY                                                        APPELLATE DIVISION                                                        DOCKET NO. A-0927-16T1 
PER CURIAM      
             Defendant Kenneth Verpent appeals from the August 5, 2016 order  denying his motion to suppress the laboratory results of a urine test administered  following a 2008 automobile accident.            
            Our Supreme Court remanded  defendant's case so that "exigency may be assessed on a newly developed and  fuller record in light of this Court's holding in [State v. Adkins,  221 N.J. 300 (2015)]." Adkins determined that Missouri v. McNeely,  569 U.S. 141, 144 (2013), which found that alcohol in the bloodstream did not create a per se  exigency, applied retroactively to cases "in the pipeline" at the time it was  decided. Adkins,  221 N.J. at 303. After a plenary hearing, Judge Edward A.  Jerejian found that under the totality of the circumstances, in light of the injuries  to the other driver requiring police intervention and the time it would take to obtain a search warrant, exigent circumstances existed justifying the search  without a warrant. We affirm substantially for the reasons articulated by Judge  Jerejian in his oral opinion.        A jury convicted defendant of third-degree assault by auto,  N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(c)(2). Judge Jerejian convicted defendant of driving while intoxicated,   N.J.S.A. 39:4-50; reckless driving,  N.J.S.A. 39:4-96; and being under the  influence of a controlled dangerous substance,  N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10(b). Defendant  has served his aggregate five-year prison sentence.                                                                             A-0927-16T1                                           
            We summarized the State's evidence at the jury trial as follows:        The State presented the following evidence at trial. At       about 10:15 a.m., on December 3, 2008, Sabrina Patrick       was traveling in her Honda Accord from Little Falls,      New Jersey, to New York City. It was a clear, sunny       day, and the road surface was dry. She was stopped at       the main toll plaza for the George Washington Bridge      when she heard a "very loud crash," after which she       "was looking at the ceiling of [her] vehicle" because the      driver's seat in her car had been broken by the impact       and she had been flung backwards.        Defendant, who was operating a flatbed tow truck,       failed to stop and, according to an eyewitness,      "slammed into the back of the Honda, and a second later       that Honda hit the back of a truck in front of it." Her       treating physician testified at trial that, as a result of the       collision, Patrick had an "L3 burst fracture" of a       vertebra, which required "spinal fusion" surgery and       the insertion of metal rods into her body to provide       needed support.        
            An accident reconstruction expert testified that the left       front side of defendant's truck struck the right rear side       of Patrick's car at a minimum speed in the range of       twenty-seven to thirty-three miles per hour. The expert      attributed the accident to defendant's "delayed       perception response;" that is, defendant failed to apply       the truck's brakes until it was too late to avoid colliding       with Patrick's car.              ....        Defendant's urine specimen tested positive for cocaine       and marijuana metabolites.       The State presented       testimony from H. Chip Walls, who was qualified as an       expert in forensic toxicology and the effects of alcohol  and drugs on humans. Walls concluded that, when    defendant's truck struck Patrick's car, defendant was   suffering the "downside" of his prior ingestion of    cocaine; he was "crashing" after the initial stimulating    effects of his cocaine use had passed.              [State v. Verpent, Docket No. A-3807-10 (App. Div.             July 2, 2012) (slip op. at 2-3, 6), rev'd in part, appeal             dismissed in part,  221 N.J. 494(2015).]        
            After the testimony on remand, Judge Jerejian found that "it wasn't till 2:30 that police secured this sample, [and] . . . that there was probable cause that  he was under the influence of drugs." At 11:20 a.m., the police officer had only  concluded that defendant was "under the influence of something." At 12:10 p.m., when defendant was placed under arrest, the officer had yet to determine  whether defendant was under the influence of alcohol or some other drug. At 12:44 p.m., defendant was given a breathalyzer test and had no alcohol in his  blood. The officer and his tour commander then decided to call in a drug recognition expert (DRE) to determine whether defendant was under the  influence of any drug. It was not until 2:30 p.m., when the DRE concluded his exam, that the officers had probable cause to believe that defendant was under  the influence of a drug.        Defendant argues on appeal:              
POINT I: DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO SUPPRESS             EVIDENCE WAS IMPROPERLY DENIED                                                                            A-0927-16T1                                         
     We "accord deference to the factual findings of the trial court, which had the opportunity to hear and see the . . . witness[es] at the suppression hearing  and to evaluate the credibility of [their] testimony." State v Scriven, 226 N.J.  20, 32 (2016). "[W]e must respect factual findings that are 'supported by  sufficient credible evidence' at the suppression hearing, even if we would have made contrary findings had we sat as the motion court." Ibid. (quoting State v.  Elders,  192 N.J. 224, 243 (2007)). The factual findings of a trial court are also  afforded deference because they are "substantially influenced by [the trial  court's] opportunity to hear and see the witnesses and to have the 'feel' of the  case, which a reviewing court cannot enjoy." State v. Robinson,  200 N.J. 1, 15 (2009) (quoting Elders,  192 N.J. at 244).        The accident was very serious, it took approximately forty-five minutes  to remove Patrick from her car, the police then conducted field sobriety tests  based on defendant's bloodshot eyes, constricted pupils, and slow and unsteady gait. They brought defendant to headquarters for a breath test, determined he  was not under the influence of alcohol, and then had him evaluated by a DRE  before obtaining a urine sample. These reasonable actions took considerable  time. In addition, under Adkins, the trial court may afford substantial weight to  the potential dissipation of the substance in a defendant's system. Adkins, 221                                                                          A-0927-16T1                                         5 N.J. at 303
            The officers had probable cause to believe that defendant was under  the influence of something at the time of his arrest, and they acted in an  objectively reasonable manner under the circumstances to determine what was  in defendant's system. See Adkins,  221 N.J. at 303(directing reviewing courts  to "focus on the objective exigency of the circumstances faced by the officers").      
             In a similar situation, our Supreme Court recently found objective exigent  circumstances, not found by the motion judge, stating: "We conclude that any  delay in seeking to obtain defendant's blood sample after the establishment of probable cause is attributed to the complexity of the situation and the reasonable  allocation of limited police resources “not a lack of emergent circumstances, as argued by defendant."    State v. Zalcberg,  232 N.J. 335, 351 (2018).        
             The Supreme Court found that the seriousness of the accident, "the presence of  several emergency-services units," the extrication of victims from a vehicle  using the "Jaws of Life," and the fact that the accident "occurred on a typically  busy state highway," all "indicate[d] an objective exigency . . . ." Id. at 351-52.        Similarly, here the accident occurred at a toll lane at the George  Washington Bridge and required the closure of three out of four traffic lanes,  and officers had to use the "Jaws of Life" to remove Patrick from her car. Unlike  Zalcberg, in which the police officers smelled alcohol on the defendant and found a "miniature bottle of an alcoholic beverage in the vehicle's console[,]"  thus creating probable cause that the defendant was under the influence of alcohol, id. at 339, the police officers here could only determine, approximately  two-and-a-half hours after the accident, when defendant's breathalyzer test was  negative, that he was "under the influence of something" other than alcohol.  
            This creates an even greater exigency than in Zalcberg, as the police officers,  without knowing which substance was intoxicating defendant, had no way to estimate the dissipation rate. Therefore, the officers had no way of estimating  how much time they had to obtain a urine sample.        We affirm substantially for the thorough reasons placed on the record by  Judge Jerejian.    Defendant's arguments concerning the lack of exigent  circumstances are without sufficient merit to require further discussion in a  written opinion. R. 2:11-3(e)(2).        Affirmed.                                                                            A-0927-16T1                                        

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Supreme Court rules Breath test results produced by Alcotest machines are inadmissible if not calibrated using a NIST-traceable thermometer State v. Cassidy

Supreme Court rules Breath test results produced by Alcotest machines are inadmissible if not calibrated using a NIST-traceable thermometer 
  State v. Cassidy  (A-58-16; 078390)
The Special Master’s findings are supported by substantial credible evidence in the record, and the Court adopts them. Breath test results produced by Alcotest machines not calibrated using a NIST-traceable thermometer are inadmissible.
The Court considered the admissibility of breath test results produced by Alcotest machines not calibrated using a thermometer that produces temperature measurements traceable to the standards set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). 
In 2000, the State began using the Alcotest, a product of Draeger Safety Diagnostics Inc. (Draeger), to conduct breath tests. The Alcotest machine analyzes breath samples, producing blood alcohol concentration readings used to determine whether a driver’s blood alcohol content is above the legal limit. In 2004, Dr. Thomas A. Brettell developed the current calibration protocol while he was director of the State’s Office of Forensic Sciences (OFS). In 2008, the Court found results from Alcotest machines calibrated pursuant to Dr. Brettel’s protocol sufficiently reliable to be admissible in drunk-driving cases to establish a defendant’s guilt or innocence for drunk driving. State v. Chun, 194 N.J. 54, 65 (2008). The Court also required that the devices be recalibrated semi-annually to help ensure accurate measurements. Id. at 153. 
During the calibration process, simulator solutions are heated to about 34 degrees Celsius, the generally accepted temperature for human breath. It is essential that the temperature of the solution be accurate in order for the Alcotest’s blood alcohol content readings to be correct. The Alcotest’s calibration procedure requires the test coordinator to insert a thermometer that produces NIST-traceable temperature measurements into the simulator solution used to calibrate the Alcotest and confirm that the calibration unit heated the solution to a temperature within 0.2 degrees of 34 degrees Celsius. When a thermometer’s temperature measurements are “traceable” to the standard measurements of the NIST, those measurements are generally accepted as accurate by the scientific community. There are two other temperature probes used during the calibration procedure. Unlike the NIST-traceable thermometer, they are manufactured and calibrated by Draeger.
Marc W. Dennis, a coordinator in the New Jersey State Police’s Alcohol Drug Testing Unit, was tasked with performing the semi-annual calibrations on Alcotest instruments used in Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, and Union Counties. He is charged with neglecting to take required measurements and having falsely certified that he followed the calibration procedures. Dennis was indicted in 2016 for failing to use a NIST- traceable thermometer to measure the temperature of simulator solutions used to calibrate Alcotest devices. When Dennis was criminally charged, the Attorney General’s Office notified the Administrative Office of the Courts that evidential breath samples from 20,667 people were procured using Alcotest machines calibrated by Dennis. 
Defendant Eileen Cassidy, now deceased, pleaded guilty in municipal court to driving under the influence based solely on Alcotest results showing her blood alcohol level had exceeded the legal limit. Upon learning that the results of her test were among those called into question by Dennis’s alleged falsifications, she moved to withdraw her guilty plea. The Attorney General moved for direct certification. The Court granted the motion and remanded the case to retired Appellate Division Presiding Judge Joseph F. Lisa as Special Master to determine whether “the failure to test the simulator solutions with the NIST- traceable digital thermometer before calibrating an Alcotest machine [would] undermine or call into question the scientific reliability of breath tests subsequently performed on the Alcotest machine.” 230 N.J. 232, 232-33 (2017). 
After an extensive evidentiary hearing, the Special Master issued a 198-page report in which he concluded that failure to use a thermometer that produces NIST-traceable temperature readings in the calibration process undermines the reliability of the Alcotest and that the State failed to carry its burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that the Alcotest was scientifically reliable without a NIST-traceable temperature check. The Special Master’s report is appended to the Court’s opinion. 
HELD: The Special Master’s findings are supported by substantial credible evidence in the record, and the Court adopts them. Breath test results produced by Alcotest machines not calibrated using a NIST-traceable thermometer are inadmissible. 
1. This case is justiciable despite defendant’s passing. The Court will entertain a case that has become moot when the issue is of significant public importance and is likely to recur. The reliability and admissibility of thousands of breath samples, often used as the sole evidence to support a conviction, is of significant public importance. 
2. Scientific test results are admissible in a criminal trial only when the technique is shown to be generally accepted as reliable within the relevant scientific community. Chun, 194 N.J. at 91. Although the Court recently adopted the factors identified in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 593-95 (1993), and a methodology-based approach for determining scientific reliability in certain areas of civil law, the Court has not altered its adherence to the general acceptance test for reliability in criminal matters. The proponent of the technique has the burden to clearly establish general acceptance and may do so using
(1) expert testimony, (2) scientific and legal writings, and (3) judicial opinions. The party proffering the evidence need not show infallibility of the technique nor unanimity of its acceptance in the scientific community. 
3. Of the State’s witnesses, the Special Master found only the testimony of Dr. Brettell worthy of substantial weight; he found defendant’s expert credible. The Court defers to and adopts the Special Master’s detailed credibility findings. 
4. Based on the credible testimony, the Special Master determined that accurate temperature readings of the simulator solutions are “the foundation upon which the entire calibration process is built.” The Special Master found NIST traceability “essential” to confidence in the Alcotest’s results and that the two Draeger-manufactured probes were not NIST-traceable and were insufficient substitutes for the use of a NIST-traceable thermometer. The Special Master also found it particularly significant that the NIST-traceable thermometer was the only temperature measuring device used in the calibration process that was independent from the Alcotest and not manufactured and calibrated by Draeger. The Special Master found it “extremely important and persuasive” that current protocol treats the failure to achieve an in- range temperature reading using the NIST-traceable thermometer as an event of sufficient magnitude to abort a calibration. The Special Master reasoned that such facts clearly cut against the State’s argument that the use of the thermometer is an unnecessary redundancy. Further, the Special Master rejected the State’s theory that ten simultaneous failures would need to occur for the certainty of Alcotest results to be compromised, finding instead that the evidence showed that three relatively minor errors could cause undetected miscalibrations. The Special Master determined that the State had not shown that other states’ practices revealed general acceptance of the reliability of Alcotest results without the use of a NIST- traceable thermometer. Because the Special Master’s findings are supported by substantial credible evidence in the record, the Court adopts them. 
5. Applying the general acceptance standard to the Special Master’s findings, the Court holds that the State failed to carry its burden and affirms the Special Master’s conclusion. Temperature measurements that are NIST-traceable are generally accepted as reliable by the scientific community. Part of that reliability lies in the fact that the level of uncertainty of each temperature measurement is known. The two Draeger-manufactured probes fail to meet the NIST’s standards and the measure of uncertainty in their temperature readings is unknown. The Court does not accept the State’s contention that the risk of miscalibration is infinitesimal due to the numerous other fail-safes in the calibration procedure. As Dr. Brettell testified, it was that very fear of a laboratory bias that led him to include the NIST- traceable thermometer in the calibration procedure. 
6. The Court orders the State to notify all affected defendants of its decision that breath test results produced by Alcotest machines not calibrated using a NIST-traceable thermometer are inadmissible and commends to the State that it require the manual recording of the NIST- traceable readings going forward. Further, the Court lifts the stay on all pending cases so that deliberations may commence on whether and how those cases should proceed. For those cases already decided, affected defendants may now seek appropriate relief. Because the State waited approximately a year to notify the affected defendants, the Court relaxes the five-year time bar, R. 7:10-2(b)(2), in the interests of justice. The Court asks the Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts to monitor these cases and recommend how best to administer them in the event any special measures are needed. Finally, as to defendant Cassidy, the Court exercises its original jurisdiction and vacates her conviction. 
CHIEF JUSTICE RABNER and JUSTICES LaVECCHIA, ALBIN, PATTERSON, FERNANDEZ-VINA, and SOLOMON join in JUSTICE TIMPONE’s opinion. 

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Handling Drug, DWI and Serious Cases in Municipal Court Seminar Speakers: Front: Norma M. Murgado, Esq. 
Chief Prosecutor (Elizabeth), Chief Prosecutor (Woodbridge) Lorraine Nielsen, Esq. Municipal Court Prosecutor, Milltown plus North Brunswick & others Back row William Brigiani, Esq. Past Middlesex Bar President John Menzel, Esq.
Past Chair, NJSBA Municipal Court Practice Section Kenneth A. Vercammen, Esq., Metuchen Public Defender, Past Municipal Court Attorney of the Year 480-page book available from JERSEY INSTITUTE FOR CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION NJICLE, A Division of the NJSBA NJ State Bar Association $60 Member $75 Non-Member call Customer Service at 732.214.8500 or email to customerservice@njicle.com

  Handling Drug, DWI and Serious Cases in Municipal Court Seminar Speakers: 

Front: Norma M. Murgado, Esq. 
Chief Prosecutor (Elizabeth), Chief Prosecutor (Woodbridge)
Lorraine Nielsen, Esq. Municipal Court Prosecutor, Milltown plus North Brunswick & others

Back row 
William Brigiani, Esq. Past Middlesex Bar President
John Menzel, Esq.
Past Chair, NJSBA Municipal Court Practice Section 
Kenneth A. Vercammen, Esq., Metuchen Public Defender, Past Municipal Court Attorney of the Year
480-page book available fromJERSEY INSTITUTE FOR CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION NJICLE, A Division of the NJSBA NJ State Bar Association  
$60 Member $75 Non-Member       call Customer Service at 732.214.8500
or email to customerservice@njicle.com

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Top 20 Municipal Court Cases and Criminal cases in the past year the Foundation of the Municipal Court Attorney’s Arsenal

Top 20 Municipal Court Cases and Criminal cases in the past year
  the Foundation of the Municipal Court Attorney’s Arsenal
   
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Noon-1:40pm
NJ Bar NJICLE webinar

Featuring:
Kenneth A. Vercammen, Esq.
Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Municipal Court Law Attorney
Past Chair, NJSBA Municipal Court Practice Section
Past NJSBA Municipal Court Practitioner of the Year

Francis M. Womack, III, Esq.
Municipal Court Prosecutor Edison, Piscataway and Sayreville, Carteret
Law Offices of Francis M. Womack (Iselin)
Mayor- North Brunswick

David R. Spevack, Esq.
Municipal Court Prosecutor Edison and Woodbridge, Carteret
 Governor Murphy  Transition Team representative from Hispanic Bar Association

Donovan Bezer, Esq.
Municipal Court Prosecutor Metuchen, Jersey City

Chirag Mehta, Esq.
Municipal Court Prosecutor Irvington, Alternate Prosecutor Edison, North Brunswick and Morris Plains

                  
Do you know that there were over twentyNew Jersey decisions in 2018 alone that should be at your fingertips when you enter a Municipal Court in New Jersey? 

These cases deal with major issues confronting municipal court law practitioners in this state. Without a complete understanding of what these cases involve, you could be at a serious disadvantage when you bring your next municipal court matter to court. Don’t miss this opportunity to benefit from the expertise and experience of five of the state’s leading municipal court law practitioners as they analyze this year’s leading municipal court law cases.

Join us for a convenient luncheon webinar and become familiar with the newest key municipal court law cases that should be part of your legal arsenal, whether you are a municipal court prosecutor or defense attorney. 
·     Search and seizure
·     Assault
·     Disorderly person offenses
·     Domestic violence
·     DWI
o  Alcotest
o  Refusal
o  Blood test
o  Repeat offender
      …and more




Discussion to include cases involving:
Top Municipal Court and Traffic Cases
 • Municipal Court can stay DL suspension after DWI if appeal
   State v. Robertson
 228 NJ 138 (2017)
 • School Zone map admissible if properly authenticated State v. Wilson 
   NJ 34 (2017)
 • Defendant’s furtive movement after car stop justified removal of
   Passenger 
State v. Bacome
 • Not criminal harassment to publish rude flyers State v. Burkert 231
   N.J. 257 (2017) 
 • Plain feel of bulge of rock cocaine permitted search
   State v Evans
 __ NJ ____ (2018) 
 • Ordinary police video not subject to OPRA Paff v. Ocean County
  Prosecutor’s Office 
 • Dash cam video in fatal shooting public record
  
 North Jersey Media Group, Inc. v. Township of Lyndhurst
 • Here if DWI plea vacated with PCR, no criminal DWS State v Faison
   (App. Div 2017)
 • DNA on towel not admissible without proper foundation and chain of
   custody 
State v Mauti 208 NJ 519 (2017)
 • No good faith exception for errors in search warrant of apartment 
   State v Boone __ NJ 
__ (2017) 
 • Mandatory DNA samples in serious Municipal court criminal
 • New Criminal rules effective Jan 1, 2017
   No more cash bail. Everyone with a Warrant gets to spend at least one
   night in jail !!!
 • Updated Expungement Law changes procedures for expunging
   criminal records signed in 2017 taking effective October 1, 2018
 • Warrantless blood draw permitted in fatal accident based on
   exigency. 
State v. Zalcberg 232 N.J. 335 (2018).
 • Police could not stop for only one broken taillight
   State v. Sutherland
 231 NJ 429 (2018)
 • Hearsay is generally admissible in a VOP hearing
   State v. Mosley
 (App. Div. 2018)
 • Police have duty to preserve video and evidence
   
State v Richardson 452 N.J. Super 124 (App. Div. 2017)
 • Evidence suppressed where no valid inventory search. State v.
   Hummel
 232 N.J. 196 (2018).
 • Driver’s failure to provide registration here permitted limited search. 
   State v. Terry
 232 N.J. 218 (2018).
 • Consent to search voluntarily given here. State v. Hagans 233 N.J. 30
   (2018). 
 • No weekend jail for third offender DWIs, must serve straight time
   State v. Anicama 
 • Driver can be charged with criminal driving while suspended if they
   had prior refusal and prior DWI 
State v Dougherty
 • Later obtained search warrant does not correct prior illegal
   warrantless search. 
State v. Atwood 232 N.J. 433 (2018).


Thursday, October 04, 2018

No weekend jail for third offender DWIs, must serve straight time State v. Anicama

No weekend jail for third offender DWIs, must serve straight time
State v. Anicama
Defendant was convicted of a third or subsequent offense of driving while intoxicated (DWI). The Municipal Court allowed him to serve the mandatory 180-day sentence under N.J.S.A. 39:4-50(a)(3) two days per week. The Law Division reversed.
The Appellate Division holds a third or subsequent DWI offender is ineligible for periodic service. Michael's Law amended the DWI statutes to require the 180-day sentence be spent in jail, excepting only up to ninety days spent in inpatient drug or alcohol rehabilitation, and to preclude other options. The amendment to N.J.S.A. 39:4-51 was intended only to bar work release for such offenders, not to lift the prohibition on their release before the jail term had been served. The specific law governing DWI sentences governs over the general provision for periodic service in N.J.S.A. 2B:12-22. The court disapproves State v. Grabowski, 388 N.J. Super. 431 (Law Div. 2006), which permitted such periodic service.   (A-0452-16T4)