Crime fighter or spy camera? What is flock — NJ Top News
Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show on Friday:
🔗 NJ GOP says voter registration issue predates 2023 glitch
⚠️ Republicans say records show noncitizens were registered to vote before the state's reported software glitch.
➡️ The documents include voter registration removals dating back to at least 2019, according to the GOP.
🔴 Gov. Mikie Sherrill says an independent investigation is underway to determine what happened.
The scope of New Jersey's voter registration scandal could go well beyond a few thousand noncitizens, according to state Republicans.
Outrage and demands for accountability have spread across the country after Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced 6,600 noncitizens were registered to vote in New Jersey. On Tuesday, the Democratic governor said there was a serious software error when applying for identification through the Motor Vehicle Commission.
Sherrill also said the glitch was isolated to between June 2023 and June 2024. However, New Jersey Republicans say records they obtained show noncitizens were registered before June 2023.
"The governor blamed a software glitch during a limited one-year period that allowed for this egregious violation. This statement was ill-advised and likely erroneous," said Christine Hanlon, who serves as chairwoman of the Republican State Committee.
According to Hanlon, the GOP Election Integrity Task Force has found hundreds of noncitizens on the voter rolls before June 2023. Hanlon said the records include registrations dating to at least 2019, including examples from 2020, 2022 and April 2023.
🔗 Vendor rejects blame for New Jersey's stunning voter roll scandal
🔴IDEMIA says New Jersey, not the vendor, was responsible for verifying voter eligibility.
➡️ Gov. Mikie Sherrill blamed a software error that registered 6,600 noncitizens to vote.
🔴 Republicans and the White House are using the announcement to demand election reforms.
Tech vendor IDEMIA says New Jersey only has itself to blame after the state announced that noncitizens were on the voter rolls.
In Tuesday's shock announcement, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said that a software glitch allowed 6,600 noncitizens to register to vote. The ineligible voters had applied for driver's licenses through the Motor Vehicle Commission, which then registered them to vote, Sherrill said.
“These individuals answered ‘no’ when asked on a keypad whether they were a U.S. citizen when applying for drivers' licenses and identification cards, but through no fault of their own, the system registered them anyway," Sherrill said.
Sherrill blamed tech vendor IDEMIA, which supplied the software with the error. State officials also said New Jersey would replace IDEMIA with a different vendor, Telos.
IDEMIA is biting back. The France-based company said its role was limited to transmitting information through the MVC's voter registration system.
"The voter registration information is transmitted to the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections, which is ultimately responsible for verifying eligibility to vote. Information submitted by IDEMIA must still be validated and adjudicated by the Division of Elections," IDEMIA said.
🔗 Flock cameras in NJ: Crime fighter or privacy threat?
🚔 Police say the cameras help recover stolen vehicles and identify suspects faster.
🔒 Privacy advocates and a state senator say New Jersey needs stronger safeguards over how license plate data is collected and shared.
⚖️ As more towns adopt Flock technology, the debate over public safety versus privacy is intensifying.
Are Flock cameras one of New Jersey's new tools in the fight against crime or an invasion of privacy?
Named after a company called Flock Safety, the cameras use automated license plate reader technology to read license plates and take video for both law enforcement and private companies like homeowner associations.
Flock's license plate reader technology has been used in Edison since 2022, according to Police Chief Thomas Bryan. Their use has had a positive impact on law enforcement without any complaints from citizens.
"The technology has proven to be a valuable investigative resource, assisting in the recovery of stolen vehicles and the identification and apprehension of wanted individuals. It has also provided real-time information that has directly supported criminal investigations. The system has enhanced public safety for the residents of the Township of Edison," Bryan said.
State Sen. Declan O'Scanlon, R-Monmouth, who led the effort to eliminate red-light cameras in New Jersey, said his concern is protecting privacy and preventing government abuse of the data collected.
The ACLU opposes Flock technology, calling the devices "creepy cameras" because of what it says is a lack of transparency, oversight and regulation surrounding the data they collect. The group argues that information about visits to doctors, houses of worship or political protests could expose sensitive details about people's lives.
🔗 Funeral set for siblings killed in Barnegat Bay crash
✅ Funeral services are Friday for the two children killed in a Barnegat Bay boat crash
✅ The 7- and 9-year-olds died after their grandfather's boat hit a channel marker
✅ Authorities have not filed any charges as the investigation continues
BERKELEY — The two children killed in a crash with a buoy on Barnegat Bay on Sunday will be laid to rest on Friday.
Mya Bella Golabek, 9, and Sigmund "Siggy" Paul Golabek, 7, were on board a 30-foot Tidewater Custom that crashed into an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker.
The boat was steered by their grandfather, Stephen Schneider, 63, of the Bayville section, and their grandmother was also on board.
No criminal charges have been filed. The crash remains under investigation.
Services for the children will be 4 p.m. Friday at the Riggs Funeral Home in the Forked River section, with a funeral at 7:30 p.m.
🔗 As more NJ towns ban data centers, Andover is sued over reversal
⚠️ A developer is suing Andover Township over its newly adopted ban on data centers.
➡️ The lawsuit seeks to revive plans for a data center at the former Newton Airport site.
🔴 Township officials vow to fight the lawsuit, as more NJ towns adopt bans.
ANDOVER TOWNSHIP — The township has vowed to “vigorously defend” its recent ban on data centers from being built, as a developer is suing over the sudden derailment of its plans in Andover.
Pennsylvania-based National Land Developers has asked a judge to invalidate what it calls an “arbitrary” ordinance that was passed in mid-May.
In the lawsuit filed July 10 in Superior Court in Sussex County, National Land Developers repeated its interest in building a data center on the former Newton airport — at 248 Stickles Pond Road.
The 97-acre property has been empty for nearly 13 years.
As Andover fights off that lawsuit, the roster of New Jersey communities that have adopted their own bans on data center construction continues to grow.
Mansfield recently adopted a similar data center ban.
According to activist group Climate Revolution Action Network New Jersey, the Burlington County town was the 27th municipality in the state to pass a local ban on data centers.
These NJ towns have banned data centers
Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt
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Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt
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