I’m working from home today waiting for a package and at 8:25am I hear what sounds to be a police siren and then “Please remove your cars from the street. No parking while snow cover.” Where exactly are people supposed to move their cars? It’s suburbia. Some driveways are big enough to have two or three vehicles in them but not all. Even so are you really going to want to have 2 or 3 cars lined up in a some what hilly driveway? My driveway has a major slope and I’d be difficult to keep it from freezing over. Also notice they decided to do this at 8:25am which is after many people leave for work. I’m out the door at 6:08. I’d come home to a stolen car at worst and a ticket at best. And to top it all off… I live on the boundary of two towns. Last time it snowed the town to the right salted but the town I reside in didn’t. So half the street was clear and half covered in ice and snow. They did not go around threatening people that time though and yet it was just as much snow as we are receiving now.

Cliffside Park Police patrol car CP-6 was idling while at a gas station today at around 1:45pm today. I’ve looked around the net and through New Jersey statutes but was unable to find a law prohibiting such an action. As I’ve read that many states outlaw idling at a gas station when fueling up a vehicle due to the potential for the engine to ignite vapors. Especially should they backfire. I was told by someone today that he believed it was illegal for officers on duty to turn off their vehicle but I’ve not been able to substantiate that nor does it seem likely to me. I did not notice any signs instructing the engine to be turned off as you find at many gas stations.

If anyone knows whether New Jersey has such a law and what it is please contact me personally or leave a comment.

I don’t know if it’s actually dangerous and as I said I didn’t see from the road whether or not there was a sign indicating engines needed to be off but knowing New Jersey and how anal the government is (not even allowing people pump their own gas) I wouldn’t be surprised if it was prohibited.  If it is prohibited then the cop should be following the same statutes the rest of us are supposed to. If it’s prohibited but authorities are exempted I think that’s just as unfair as officers being exempt from NJ laws prohibiting non-hands free mobile phone usage while on duty. If it’s not prohibited and not against the station’s rules I would still prefer that the officer stop the engine while refueling. There is no reason to waste fuel given that the tax payers, not the officer, are ultimately paying for that gasoline.

http://www.nj.com/…

A gambling ring that took in $1 million a month in bets was cracked yesterday with the arrest of 45 people, including four reputed associates of the Genovese crime family as well as a high school athletic director and a teacher from another school district.

Authorities also seized more than $5 million, about 5 pounds of marijuana and five vehicles during raids that began at 5 a.m. in Bergen, Hudson, Monmouth and Ocean counties.

The investigation was dubbed “Operation Off-the-Hook,” because two of the alleged leaders of the gambling ring, James W. Skinner, 69, of Allenwood, and his son, James J. Skinner, 40, of Hazlet, lived in towns just south of Sandy Hook, the prosecutor said.

The other ringleaders were identified as Mark Iafelice, 49, of Edgewater; Brian DiGuilmi, 48, of Emerson, and Bernard Duffy, 63, of Hasbrouck Heights. All are charged with racketeering, conspiracy and promoting gambling, which carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison. Molinelli described the Skinners, Iafelice and DiGuilmi as “associates” of the Genovese crime family.

Others arrested included a North Bergen High School athletic director, Jerry Maietta, 37, of North Bergen; a North Bergen school aide, Ralph Marino, 52, of Cliffside Park, and John Prato, 36, of Brick, a teacher at Freehold Regional High School.

North Bergen spokesman Paul Swibinski said, “Certainly everyone is innocent until proven guilty.”

Oh of course: “Innocent until proven guilty.” I’m sure none of their property was taken by force or anything. Really awesome stuff. A pig can murder a woman and maim her child and get max 8 months yet a group of people provide a gambling service and harm no one face up to 10 years.