On Monday, along with Senate President Nick Scutari and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Governor Murphy announced his support for proposed legislation to combat auto theft in New Jersey. Among the proposals highlighted:
- Establishing a persistent auto theft offender statute, which would give state and local prosecutors the option to seek more serious criminal consequences for those who have been repeatedly found guilty of stealing vehicles.
- Making possession and distribution of certain auto theft tools a crime.
- Imposing criminal penalties for the failure to comply with certain guidelines in the sale and purchase of catalytic convertors.
- Investing in enhanced pretrial services, which will reduce the risk from individuals who are awaiting trial, including pretrial monitoring by law enforcement, expansion of the use of house arrest paired with location monitoring, and additional resources related to substance abuse, mental health, and housing insecurity.
The Governor also announced that the Motor Vehicle Commission will start work to add an opt-in feature to vehicle registration paperwork that permits law enforcement to track that vehicle if it is stolen.
The League will monitor legislation as it is introduced and proceeds through the legislative process and report as necessary.
Contact: Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.