In the Summer of 2021, Philadelphia passed a new law regarding when the police can stop a vehicle. The data was clear. The police were stopping a disproportionate amount of black drivers for minor traffic offenses when compared to other skin colors. That meant if you were a black driver with a broken brake light, you were almost guaranteed to be stopped and potentially searched. When this occurred, the data showed that very few of these stops even lead to finding illegal contraband, such as drugs or guns. It was clear racial profiling was happening and it needed to end. In a step in the right direction, a new law was signed last Summer stating that the police could no longer stop any individual for minor offenses, such as a broken brake light. Instead, if the police stopped you for something more, such as running a red light, and you happened to have a brake light out, only then could you receive the ticket. The hope is that these illegal searches and profiling will end. It is more likely it will not end, but at least it is a step in the right direction to start changing the mindset of those making the decision to stop a driver. More change is needed, but as we all know, change takes time and often baby steps. At least someone is doing something in Philly.

When you hear the word Mayonnaise, what comes to mind? Maybe a sandwich. Maybe I need to pick some up at the store. Certainly not murder! Well, I guess mayonnaise can now lead to someone becoming so upset they actually murder someone. That is exactly what happened to Kristofer Erlbacher of Iowa recently.

Kristofer was out drinking and spread some mayo on someone else's food. I guess that guy did not like mayo because the situation turned into a fight, believe it or not. It then led to threats of setting someone's house on fire and Kristofer ramming his truck into someone else's. Instead of just calming down and leaving, Kristofer struck the truck a second time and left the scene, leaving the man to die. One hot tempered, drunk night now earned Kristofer a life sentence in jail. Just goes to show it is better to walk away and cool off before you take action in the heat of anger. 

Warning to anyone who receives a notice from the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission that your driver's license number or social security number has been compromised. Please be aware this is a new potential scam going around. The notice likely has contact information on it that does not connect you directly with NJ MVC. If you receive one of these notices, do not use the contact information on the notice. Instead, look up a proven telephone number for NJ MVC and contact them that way. NJ MVC states they are currently investigating this scam. We need to look out for one another and protect others from these scams, so please warn your friends and family. 

In Tennessee, a man allowed his pigs to run loose outside of their fenced in area. A woman visiting her father who lived across the street heard a noise and went to investigate. When she looked out the door, she saw the neighbors pigs running loose. She decided to herd the pigs and bring them back to their property. While there, she waned to knock on the front door to let them know their pigs were loose. While doing so, Baxter the pig, followed the woman on the porch and decided to jump against her back as she knocked on the door. This caused the woman to fall off the porch and sustain injuries. 
The woman sued the pig owners for her injuries claiming they were negligent in allowing the pigs to run at large. This is definitely not the type of case we see in New Jersey!

Did you know it is illegal in New Jersey to cover up any part of the words "New Jersey" or "Garden State" on your license plate? If not, you better check that fancy license plate holder you have. New Jersey is now cracking down on plate holders that obscure any of the words on the plate. That means you could be pulled over for this!

Most times, you buy a car and the dealer adds a plate cover to advertise their own business. You leave it on the car because....who cares! Well, now you have a reason to care and double check.