Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) New Jersey State Lodge President Robert W. Fox is requesting FOP’s legislative partners amend current statutes to ensure County Prosecutors have the necessary discretion to prosecute juveniles as adults for capital offenses. Under the current law, the restrictions do not allow juveniles under the age of 15 to be prosecuted as an adult for any offense. This proposal would eliminate this age restriction and allow the Prosecutors to charge juveniles as adults, under the oversight of our judiciary.
The Fraternal Order of Police demands that our communities be kept safe, and part of that safety would be to give Prosecutors throughout the State of New Jersey the discretion to prosecute juveniles as adults in situations where the breadth of the crime would justify such prosecution. We look forward to working with our legislative partners to ensure our communities are safe and those who perpetrate the most serious offenses are prosecuted accordingly.
Robert W. Fox
President
Fraternal Order of Police New Jersey State Lodge
By way of context, from ABC News:
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) — Officials are searching for answers in Newark after two police officers were shot.
It happened just after 6:30 p.m. in the area of Broadway and Carteret, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office confirms.
One after another, Newark Police cars raced to the scene trying to desperately rush two officers to the hospital. Both officers had just been shot, and those who lived nearby heard a barrage of bullets.
“There was 10 shots, I want to say. I want to say the whole clip basically,” said Andrea Perez, “I just hear the gunshots and I thought it was fireworks, because people are always doing their fireworks, and then I saw a bunch of police come.”
Police locked down the intersection in the area of Carteret and Broadway. The investigation appeared centered between a McDonald’s and a White Castle. A backpack appeared to be part of the evidence.
Officers gathered at University Hospital. Sources tell Eyewitness News one of the officers died. Sources say, the suspected shooter, just 14 years old, was taken into custody along with multiple suspects.
The shooting sent shockwaves through the community.
“We’re only a few blocks where major stuff be going on,” said Brenda Carden.
The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is advocating for the removal of age restrictions on specific capital offenses in New Jersey. The FOP, which represents over 33,000 law enforcement officers in the state, believes that age should not be a determining factor in whether someone can be sentenced to death for certain crimes.
Currently, New Jersey law prohibits individuals under the age of 18 from being sentenced to death for any crime. The FOP argues that this restriction is arbitrary and does not take into account the severity of the crime committed. They believe that individuals who commit heinous crimes should be held accountable regardless of their age.
The FOP points to cases where individuals under the age of 18 have committed brutal murders and received lesser sentences than they would have if they were adults. They argue that this sends the wrong message to criminals and undermines the justice system.
Opponents of removing the age restriction argue that juveniles are less culpable for their actions due to their still-developing brains and lack of maturity. They also point to research that shows juveniles are more likely to be rehabilitated than adults.
The debate over the age restriction on capital offenses is likely to continue in New Jersey as lawmakers consider potential changes to the state’s criminal justice system. The FOP will continue to advocate for the removal of the age restriction in order to ensure that justice is served for victims of violent crimes.
