Clinton Township Newsletter

2 a p r i l 2 0 2 5 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 Happy Easter! Family Owned and Operated Over 70 Years U.S. Highway 22 E. Whitehouse NJ 08888 908•534•2125 www.vandorenoil.com e-mail: info@vandorenoil.com HEATING OIL • GASOLINE • DIESEL FUEL • BURNER SERVICE • POST-HOLE DIGGING Our seafood department has a wide variety of fresh seafood daily. Our seafood specialists can custom cut or steam your fish for you. Shop our heat and eat prepared seafood. Fresh Seafood ShopRite of Clinton 50 Walmart Plaza, Clinton • 908-730-6800 Ask Officer Raff: Hi Officer Raff, I'm a resident living at Beaver Brook and I frequently go for walks on our Township roads. During my walks I've noticed alongside our Township roads literally dozens and dozens of small empty plastic bottles of Sutter Home red wine, and various shot bottles of fireball, smirnoff vodka, etc., to name a few. Not only is it littering, but also a bad look for our community. I was wondering if there was anyone there at the Township level that has also pointed this situation out and if there is anything that can be done to curb this drinking and driving behavior? Can the bottles be collected and turned in, so fingerprints can be taken and then through AI, perhaps there is a database of local residents that have past violations, etc. that can be matched up? God forbid that one of these drinking and driving folks gets into an accident, and kills themselves or someone else. Was hoping that I could be of service, and help stop a bad accident or fatality from happening due to this continued problem of drinking and driving? (not to mention the littering and the bad look upon our community). Thanks for your help! Sincerely, Stop These Litterbugs Dear Stop These Litterbugs, First, thank you for taking the time to write regarding this issue. We completely agree that any litter along our roads is not a good look for our Township. I can report that our Department of Public Works (DPW) is actively developing a street sweeping plan that should help alleviate this concern in the future. While it may seem logical, we cannot presume that individuals leaving this litter are "drinking and driving." Absent the observation of an officer or other witness, at this time, we can only determine that these individuals are littering. As far as identifying the litterbugs, it would be impractical for the police department to undertake forensic analysis of these items. Our agency, as well as the State Police, have limited resources for crime scene investigations and it would be a disservice to victims of serious crimes for us to utilize them on non-criminal violations such as littering. In addition, items exposed to the elements are notoriously difficult to fingerprint, making it unlikely that such efforts would be successful. Finally, assuming most of the litter is being thrown from motor vehicles, both the State statute for littering from a motor vehicle (New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 39:4-64 (2024) - Highway littering ban :: 2024 New Jersey Revised Statutes :: U.S. Codes and Statutes :: U.S. Law :: Justia) and our local Township Ordinance (https://ecode360.com/9551019#9551041) require complainants to have witnessed the act themselves and identifying the actor before swearing a complaint. Any resident having a concern with littering can notify the police department; we will do our best to arrange for extra patrols in those areas. Residents who witness littering are encouraged to note the vehicle description and license plate so they can pursue complaints in municipal court. As always, your Clinton Township Police remain dedicated to enforcing the impaired driving laws; anyone who suspects an impaired driver should immediately call 9-1-1. – Sincerely, Officer Raff n Officer Raffaella Vastola grew up locally in Kingwood Township, and has been in law enforcement for almost two decades, serving many of them with CTPD. She and family live in Raritan Township. Officer Raff thinks Clinton Township is a wonderful place to work, live and raise a family, and she's 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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