Fight Against Motor Vehicle Theft Continues In Chatham

CHATHAM, NJ — In Chatham Township, tougher penalties for trespassers may be on the way after the local committee recently discussed a potential new ordinance at a meeting on Tuesday night.

Chatham Township Attorney Peter King, spoke before the committee members, detailing the plans for the drafted ordinance, which will soon be going to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office for review.

According to King, the ordinance, which was inspired by neighboring New Jersey communities such as Holmdel, will function as a hybrid of previous 2C ordinances for car theft and trespassing.

"It's different from the 2C's because we added additional things that they have to do that are not in a typical trespass or car theft ordinance... It's a combination of people who are within 20 feet on pavement looking into vehicles and they also have to go up to the vehicle and either try to open that vehicle or have a device where they could clone a key," King said.

The purpose of the ordinance, according to Committee member Mark Lois, is to raise people who would otherwise be released due to catch-and-release laws above the threshold that allows them to be released.

"We had a theft on Lenape Trail where our police followed them to a gas station and they had to let them go because of their age. If this had been in place for that theft, then they could have issued a citation, and when they didn't show up for court, they would have then been able to pursue them with a warrant," Lois said.

During the ordinance discussion, committeewoman Stacey Ewald made a comment requesting more explicit and clear language within the ordinance, stating that if it is too vague, it may hinder rather than help the police process.

Lois argued that continuing to make edits and workshop the ordinance is only lighting the process, which he believes should be moving faster. "It could easily be March or April before this goes on our books. I just feel like we have such a great town, and one of the great things about being a small town is that you can be nimble, and we're losing some of that nimble nature with this workshop format."

King stated that he would continue to revise specific sections of the ordinance in order to have it added to the agenda of the next committee meeting.

The township has been persistent in its efforts to address a troubling crime trend in the community. Mayor Ashley Felice recently announced that the Chatham Township Police Department will receive an $809,000 boost to its broadband network, which will improve internet speeds for all first responders.

While the township currently has a license plate reading system in place, Lieutenant Brad Hayworth claims that it is slow and requires multiple stops before reaching the police.

"If a stolen car enters Chatham Township and passes through a license plate reader, it would send an instant alert to every car that is on the road working saying, 'a stolen car just entered the township at such and such road' so now the officers can flood that area," Hayworth said

Felice had previously warned township residents that many of those involved in the car thefts are career criminals with extensive RAP records. According to the police, these stolen vehicles are frequently used to commit other crimes, such as robberies and homicides.