The following is an ‘Ask The Chief’ question submitted to TLS, and the Chief’s response. Email your questions for the Chief [email protected].
Question:
Hi,
Good afternoon.
I hope this email finds you well.
Thank you for having this forum as an opportunity to actually speak with the people in charge of keeping this township safe/
I know I might be one among dozens of emails, but I hope this one stands out a bit more because of its message.
I’ve written this letter before to the Lakewood Scoop but it went unanswered.
I would like to know if there is a way to give tickets with fines and points to parents whose children are not seatbelted.
I’ve driven down streets where the speed limit was above 30 and there are several children unbelted and moving around or standing up.
It is dangerous, and should be considered child abuse.
Is there a way to implement more tickets, but not just tickets – points also?
We shouldn’t have to wait for parents’ negligence to cause their children to die; they should buckle them.
We focus so much on not leaving children in the car unattended, which IS important. But what about toddlers or tweens unbuckled?
Isn’t that dangerous too?
Why should a child, how can a child pay, often with their life, because of a reckless, irresponsible parent?
I think that if a parent truly loved their child, they would make sure that the child is seatbelted.
Hoping to hear from you soon!
Thank you for all that you do!
– A Concerned Citizen Who Buckles Up
The Chief’s response:
Well first thank you for your message and I apologize if we missed a question before as important as this one. Our officers do regularly enforce children who are not riding in car seats or who are unseat belted on a regular basis. I agree it is a widespread problem and a pet peeve of mine as well. While we can increase our enforcement actions and write more tickets, we or our court do not impose points for tickets. Points are assigned by the State through the motor vehicles statutes of Title 39. I would believe our law makers would have to be petitioned for an increase in points for certain summons along with increased fines.
Again, thank you for your question and drive safely.
Chief Meyer
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Have a question for the Chief? Email it to [email protected]
Have a question for the Mayor? Email it to [email protected]
The police department has a monthly event at the fire station on Cedarbridge to inspect car seats and educate you on property installation.
I don’t remember exactly when it is, but I’m sure someone Elgar here can fill that in
Child abuse? Ugh! How many cats and dogs do you have and how many children ?
Do you belong to the police state?
What a ridiculous response. You make no sense. It’s about children’s safety and they should be protected.
While we surely appreciate the sentiment, the tone of the question comes across as unhinged. I truly wish the writer a refuah shelema.
On that note though, when will the police department crack down on illegal left turns blocking Route 9 and creating a far more dangerous situation in Lakewood?
How in the world is this child abuse?
Putting a kid into slight danger isn’t child abuse. Signing up ur kid to a sport where there’s a small chance of injury isn’t child abuse and neither is this. A child not wearing a seatbelt is about 100 times less dangerous than a child riding an electric scooter. Get the government out of our lives and let parents parent!
In any other town, a child not in a car seat, the driver is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Why would a ticket be given and the parent not arrested and bought to county?! Seems to me if one person in this town gets charged the others will see to put them in car seats that Lakewood isn’t playin with childrens lives