Bergen County Town Bans Texting… While Walking? Apparently Not!

By now you may’ve read or heard about Fort Lee’s “new” policy on texting, Save Jerseyans.

Local police had allegedly begun dispensing $54 jaywalking tickets to any pedestrians caught texting while walking. The move garnered major media attention and stirred another furious online debate on the proper role of law enforcement.

The problem? It’s not true according to the town’s top law enforcement officer.

Police Chief Thomas Ripoli says national media reports of a “ban” on texting in his town are gross mischaracterizations. According to the Chief, 600 pedestrians have been stopped, warned and handed an educational pamphlet. 120 summonses were issued to jaywalkers. Sure, some also happened to be texting while jaywalking. Texting is a known cause of traffic inattentiveness whether the texter is on foot or behind the wheel, and he laments three pedestrian-related deaths thus far in 2012. But I searched the Fort Lee website, Save Jerseyans, and couldn’t find an ordinance authorizing his department to crack down on texting per se.

So why did this thing blow up?

For starters, jaywalking is under-enforced just about everywhere. We shouldn’t be surprised it would happen in Bergen County given its historical affinity for blue laws but hey, there you go. There’s also a little hypersensitivity out there right now owing to a backlash against big government and perceived transgressions against civil liberties, e.g. the increased use of “drones” for domestic policing. And last but not least, the media continues to do a crappier and crappier job checking sources and restraining their impulse to “drive news” instead of simply research, fact-check and report it.

The takeaway lesson is to avoid “blogging first and googling later.”

And, of course, stay on the sidewalk when you’re text messaging in Fort Lee!

 

Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8405 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.