Police cruisers in New Jersey may soon be required to have dashboard video cameras, a proposal that was initiated by a lawmaker who was arrested on a bogus drunken driving charge.
The legislation is due to go before the Senate budget committee on Monday, having already cleared the Assembly. It requires municipal police vehicles used for traffic stops to have in-car mobile cameras.
The bill increases the drunken driving surcharge to defray installation costs to municipalities.
Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, a south Jersey Democrat, was cleared of a drunken driving charge that had been videotaped. He invited the press to view the video to prove it differed from the officer's police report.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office agreed. The officer was indicted for official misconduct and remains suspended without pay.