Stricter Penalties For Trespassing On Chatham Committee Docket

CHATHAM, NJ — As part of its ongoing efforts to better address a troubling crime trend in the community, the Chatham Township Committee is considering developing a future ordinance that would increase penalties for individuals caught trespassing.

The idea was first brought to the public's attention at a December committee meeting, where they introduced a resolution in support of the proposed legislation, the bipartisan Auto Theft Prevention Act.

The bipartisan legislation calls for the establishment of a new competitive grant program within the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to assist state and local law enforcement in their efforts to combat auto theft.

Those grants would allow the Chatham Township Police Department to purchase and fund overtime costs, as well as anti-auto theft data collection and research activities.

During the resolution's debate, committee member Mark Lois spoke out against it, claiming that the proposed legislation did not address the root cause and that harsher punishments would be more effective.

Lois proposed that the township consider adopting a potential ordinance that would increase the fines for trespassing and trespassing with the intent to steal.

According to Lois, the ordinance could potentially be similar to those passed in neighboring New Jersey communities such as Marlboro, which recently proposed a $2,000 fine or up to 90 days in jail for attempted vehicle theft in the township.

This includes trespassing on private property, even if no motor vehicle is removed from the area.

Members of the committee briefly discussed the possibility of having the ordinance drafted for committee review at the Jan. 10 committee workshop meeting. Mayor Ashley Felice provided an update, stating that the committee had recently gone over the order with the township's legal department to ensure that everything was squared away.

The committee made the decision not to discuss the ordinance further, as Lois was not present at the Tuesday night meeting.