Clinton Township Newsletter

2 a u g u s t 2 0 2 1 W W W . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . C O M SHADES | MOTORIZED SHADES | BLINDS | DRAPES | PLANTATION SHUTTERS You Deserve Them! 908.236.2688 14 Lebanon Plaza n WindowExpressionsNJ.net C U S T O M PA I N T F I N I S H Transformations for Your Cabinetry & Furniture • D E S I G N 9 0 8 . 8 3 2 . 6 0 3 2 T E W K S B U R Y Locally Owned and Operated by Phil & Diane Koury 185 Center St., Clinton | 908.735.4499 Ask Officer Raff: Dear Officer Raff, There's a house on my block that seems to be abandoned. The yard is a mess, the owners moved out, and we suspect that critters may have moved in. It's making our whole block look bad and I'm nervous that curious kids are going to try to explore the property and maybe the house! What can we do? – Signed, Had It With THAT House D e a r Had It, The upkeep of vacant or unoccupied property is the responsibilty of the property owner (https://ecode360.com/29186153?highlight=maintenance,pro perties,property&searchId=8454011772310905#29186153). In Clinton Towndhip, the Zoning Officer is tasked with enforcement of violation of this ordinance. Therefore, any resident wishing to report an issue with a vacant or unoccupied property is encouraged to contact the Clinton Township Zoning Office, 908.735.8800, ext.217. – Sincerely, Officer Raff Dear Officer Raff, I, I mean, my friend, was invited to a barbeque this weekend and he is going to want to have an alcoholic drink or two while I'm, I mean, he's there. How many alcoholic drinks can a person imbibe within say, a four or five hour period in order to stay under the legal limit? Is that legal limit the same in all the states? Signed, Asking For a Friend Dear Asking, That's a really good question, and I'm sure a lot of CTNL readers are wondering the same thing. First, the legal limit is different in each state. In New Jersey, a person is guilty of drunk driving if he/she operates a motor vehicle with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or greater. Even if you do not feel the effects of alcohol, your blood alcohol content may exceed our state's legal limit because everyone's body and alcohol tolerance is different. Also, you can be convicted of DWI or DUI even with a BAC under the legal limit, based upon your level of impairment and manner of vehicle operation. A DWI or DUI conviction can impact your life in a number of ways. Consequences of drinking and driving can hurt your family and relationships, cost you employment opportunities, cause financial difficulties, high insurance rates and possible time in jail. Therefore, the Clinton Township Police strongly urge all individuals to: • Not drink and drive, at all. • Find a designated driver, if you plan to drink socially away from your home. • Or, pre-arrange for a cab, Uber or other car service to drive you home. We want you to enjoy yourself, but we also want you and your fellow citizens to be safe, so please choose wisely. – Sincerely, Officer Raff Dear Officer Raff, I remember that Lebanon used to have a police department, but then it got shut down several years ago. Who covers the Town of Lebanon now? And when a crime or traffic accident happens on the border of two towns, which police department handles it? If a police officer gives me a ride home from a town that I'm not a resident of, would I have to switch to the car of one of my resident police officers at the border of those two towns? Thank you for all that you do to keep our community safe! Sincerely, These Police Are My Police, Those Police Are Your Police… Dear My Police, Your Police, The Borough of Lebanon has been serviced by the New Jersey State Police Perryville barracks since their own police department shut down a number of years ago. Since we border Lebanon Borough, the Clinton Township Police assist the State Police with crimes and crashes that occur on the border of our towns or if there is an emergency and we can get to the scene faster than the nearest Trooper. As far as your scenario about switching police cars at the borders of towns if you're getting a ride home, the answer is, "it depends." If you are stuck in a situation, such as your car broke down in Clinton Township and you cannot get a ride, assuming you are going somewhere relatively close by, even if it is in another town, and we have the personnel, our officers will generally complete the transport themselves. However, let's say you missed the last bus out of our commuter lot and you need to get to Morristown, for example, then we would most likely request an officer from that agency to meet up with us approximately halfway and complete the transport. – Sincerely, Officer Raff n Officer Raffaella Vastola grew up locally in Kingwood Township, and has been in law enforcement for over 18 years, serving almost seven years with CTPD. She and her husband currently live in Raritan Township with their five children, two of whom serve in the military (Marine Corps and the Navy). Officer Raff thinks Clinton Township is a wonderful place to work, live and a raise a family, and she is very proud to serve and protect our community with a dedicated group of men and women who help to keep it that way for everyone. n Do you have questions for our local Clinton Township Police Department? Ask Officer Raff by emailing: ctnl@comcast.net or: rvastola@ctpd.org and add the words "Ask Officer Raff" in the subject line.

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