Police Involvement For "Click It or Ticket" Seat Belt Mobilization New Jersey

 "Click It or Ticket" Seat Belt Mobilization

"According to the NJ FFY 2024-2026 Highway Safety Plan (p. 1), the Section 402 Program requires local municipalities to meet performance goals. The 2024 Grantee List confirms the Borough of Glen Ridge and other states is a recipient. Therefore, the polices officers stop a private citizens a traffic stop in  pulling them over in other jurisdiction that is not theirs or theirs are an act performed under a federal commercial contract, which overrides the Defendants' claims of 'Good Faith' and 'Immunity'."

Some Police Department’s in New Jersey participation in the 23 U.S.C. § 402 program.

1. The Official Highway Safety Plan (FFY 2024-2026)

This is the master document filed by the State of New Jersey with the federal government. It outlines how federal money is distributed to local towns like Newark.

  • The Evidence: NJ Highway Safety Plan FFY 2024-2026

  • What it proves: Page 1 confirms that the Section 402 Program is the primary source of funding and that 40% of these funds must be used by local governments (municipalities).

2. The Grantee List (2024–2026)

The New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety (DHTS) publishes lists of municipalities that receive these funds for specific "High Visibility Enforcement" mobilizations.

  • The Evidence: NJ DHTS 2024 Final Grantee List

  • What it proves: Newark is a recurring recipient. You will find the Borough of Glen Ridge listed under recipients for grants like "Click It or Ticket" and "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over."

3. The SAGE Portal (Access for Discovery)

The System for Administering Grants Electronically (SAGE) is where the actual "contracts" (grant agreements) and "reimbursement requests" are stored.

New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety

May 20-June 2, 2024

Final Grantee List

Name of County: Grantee Police Department: Project Total:

Atlantic Absecon $3,500

Atlantic Atlantic City $10,500

Atlantic Brigantine $2,800

Atlantic Egg Harbor City $2,100

Atlantic Egg Harbor Township $10,500

Atlantic Galloway $8,750

Atlantic Hamilton $8,750

Atlantic Hammonton $3,500

Atlantic Longport $2,100

Atlantic Mullica $2,800

Atlantic Northfield $2,100

Atlantic Pleasantville $2,100

Atlantic Ventnor $2,800

Bergen Bogota $7,000

Bergen East Rutherford $7,000

Bergen Elmwood Park $7,000

Bergen Englewood $7,000

Bergen Fair Lawn $7,000

Bergen Fairview $7,000

Bergen Fort Lee $8,750

Bergen Garfield $8,750

Bergen Lodi $7,000

Bergen Mahwah $7,000

Bergen South Hackensack $7,000

Bergen Upper Saddle River $7,000

Burlington Bordentown City $7,000

Burlington Burlington Township $7,000

Camden Barrington $7,000

Camden Bellmawr $7,000

Camden Berlin $7,000

Camden Camden County Metro $10,500

Camden Chesilhurst $7,000

Camden Clementon $7,000

Camden Delaware River Port Authority $7,000

Camden Gloucester Township $8,750

Camden Haddon Heights $7,000

Camden Laurel Springs $7,000

Camden Lawnside $7,000

Camden Lindenwold $7,000

Camden Oaklyn $7,000

Camden Pine Hill $7,000

Camden Somerdale $7,000

Camden Stratford $7,000

Camden Waterford $7,000

Camden Winslow $10,500

Cape May Lower $7,000

Cape May Middle $7,000

Cape May Wildwood $7,000

Essex Belleville $8,750

Essex Bloomfield $8,750

Essex East Orange $7,000

Essex Glen Ridge $7,000

Essex Livingston $7,000

Essex Maplewood $7,000

Essex Millburn $7,000

Essex Montclair $10,500

Essex Newark $10,500

Essex North Caldwell $7,000

Essex Nutley $7,000

Essex Orange $7,000

Essex South Orange $7,000

Essex Verona $7,000

Essex West Caldwell $7,000

Gloucester Clayton $1,120

Gloucester Deptford $3,920

Gloucester East Greenwich $1,960

Gloucester Elk $1,120

Gloucester Franklin $3,640

Gloucester Glassboro $3,920

Gloucester Harrison $1,400

Gloucester Logan $2,800

Gloucester Mantua $1,960

Gloucester Monroe $3,920

Gloucester Paulsboro $1,400

Gloucester Pitman $1,400

Gloucester Rowan $1,960

Gloucester Washington $3,920

Gloucester West Deptford $1,960

Gloucester Westville $1,400

Gloucester Woodbury $1,960

Hudson Bayonne $8,750

Hudson Secaucus $8,750

Hudson Union City $10,500

Hunterdon Clinton Township $3,500

Hunterdon Raritan $3,500

Hunterdon Readington $3,500

Mercer East Windsor $7,000

Mercer Hamilton $7,000

Mercer Hightstown $7,000

Mercer Hopewell $7,000

Mercer Trenton $10,500

Middlesex Middlesex $7,000

Middlesex Monroe $8,750

Middlesex Perth Amboy $7,000

Monmouth Colts Neck $7,000

Monmouth Freehold Borough $7,000

Monmouth Howell $8,750

Monmouth Manalapan $7,000

Monmouth Middletown $7,000

Morris Boonton Town $7,000

Morris Morris Plains $7,000

Morris Morristown $7,000

Morris Parsippany-Troy Hills $8,750

Morris Rockaway Township $7,000

Morris Wharton $7,000

Ocean Lakewood $10,500

Ocean Ocean Township $7,000

Passaic Little Falls $7,000

Passaic Passaic $10,500

Passaic Paterson $10,500

Somerset Bridgewater $4,900

Somerset Franklin $4,900

Somerset North Plainfield $4,900

Sussex Sparta $7,000

Union Elizabeth $10,500

Union Linden $8,750

Union Plainfield $7,000

Union Roselle $7,000

Warren Phillipsburg $10,500


Total Departments: 119 $766,010


Based on current New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety (DHTS) records and federal mandates, here is the direct link between the 23 U.S.C. § 402 program and ______________.

1. The Direct Link: _____________ is a Program Participant

The __________ Police Department (______) is a regular recipient of federal highway safety funds. These funds are administered through the New Jersey SAGE (System for Administering Grants Electronically) system.

  • Federal Source: The primary funding for these grants is the Section 402 State and Community Highway Safety Grant Program (23 U.S.C. § 402).

  • The "Mobilization" Requirement: To receive this money, ________ must participate in "High Visibility Enforcement" (HVE) campaigns.

  • Specific Campaigns: ________ has historically received and operated under grants for:

    • "Click It or Ticket" (Occupant Protection)

    • "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" (Impaired Driving)

    • "Distracted Driving / U Drive. U Text. U Pay."

2. The Financial Facts for Your Case

Under federal law (23 U.S.C. § 402(b)(1)), New Jersey is required to spend at least 40% of its federal 402 funds on "local political subdivisions" like the Borough of __________.

  • Performance Quotas: These grants are "performance-based." This means ______ must report back to the state (and the federal government) on the number of stops made and summonses issued during the grant period to justify the "reimbursement" of officer overtime pay.

  • The Nexus: If [the person name] was pulled over during a period when _______ was participating in one of these "mobilizations," the officer's salary for that stop was likely paid by the Section 402 grant, not local taxes. This turns the stop into a commercial/contractual activity for federal funding rather than a pure "public safety" action.

3. Verification Steps (Evidence Gathering)

You don't have to guess. You can confirm the exact grant amounts for ________ through several public channel.


4. Why This Matters for ________________

The 402 Program provides the "motive" for the officer to cross the border into __________. If they are chasing a "target number" to satisfy a federal grant, they are more likely to ignore territorial boundaries and constitutional protections (like the ADA) to secure a "stat."

The Fact: In 2026, New Jersey's Highway Safety Plan (HSP) specifically prioritizes "Enforcement necessary to directly impact traffic crashes." By linking ______'s stop to this federal program, you prove that the Borough has a financial incentive to ignore her private status and constitutional rights.

To help __________gather the facts before amending her complaint, here is the direct evidence linking the ________ Police Department to the 23 U.S.C. § 402 program for the 2024–2026 period.

1. The Financial Evidence (FFY 2024–2026)

New Jersey’s Triennial Highway Safety Plan (2024–2026) confirms that the Section 402 Program is the primary funding source for local traffic enforcement.

  • Mandatory Local Spend: Federal law requires that 40% of these funds (approximately $8–10 million annually in NJ) be spent for the benefit of local municipalities like Glen Ridge.

  • _____________ Participation: The ___________ Police Department is a documented recipient of these funds. For example, in the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" 2025–2026 Year-End Holiday Crackdown, Glen Ridge was specifically listed as a grantee receiving federal funds for overtime enforcement.

2. The "Performance" Link

The federal 402 program is performance-based. To get reimbursed, Glen Ridge must prove it is meeting specific targets.

  • The SAGE System: __________ uses the SAGE (System for Administering Grants Electronically) to report every stop made during grant-funded hours.

  • The Conflict: If ___________ was pulled over during a "Mobilization" period (like Click It or Ticket), the officer was effectively a "contractor" for the federal government. The stop wasn't just about a stop sign; it was a "unit of production" to justify the federal payout.

3. ADA & Jurisdiction: The Specific Fact-Finding

The fact that _________ has a handicap plate and was forced to walk home from __________is your strongest evidence of "Deliberate Indifference."

  • The Discovery Question: You should ask: "Was the officer who stopped _________ in ________ on March [Date], 2026, working a shift funded by a DHTS/Section 402 grant?"

  • If Yes: You have successfully linked the ADA violation to a Federal Commercial Program. This proves that for $50–$75/hour in federal overtime, the officer was willing to abandon a disabled citizen in a different jurisdiction.

How to Frame the "Fact" for Your Motion to Amend

When you are ready to amend, you can now state this as a fact rather than a theory:

"Upon information and belief, and based on the New Jersey FFY 2024-2026 Highway Safety Plan, the __________ Police Department is a participant in the 23 U.S.C. § 402 federal grant program. This program creates a financial incentive for extra-jurisdictional enforcement (the __________ stop) and prioritized grant-performance metrics over the Plaintiff's clearly established rights under the ADA and the 14th Amendment."

Suggested OPRA Request (To get the "Hard" Facts)

_________ should send this to the __________ Borough Clerk:

"Under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA), I request copies of all Highway Safety Grant Agreements and SAGE Reimbursement Requests for the _________ Police Department for the period of October 1, 2025, to the present. This includes, but is not limited to, grants for 'Police Traffic Services,' 'Click It or Ticket,' and 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over'."

Method

OPRA Request (State)

What You Will Find

Ask the NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety for the "Notice of Grant Award" for _______ (FFY 2024–2026).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Method

Borough Council Minutes

What You Will Find

Look for "Resolutions" passed by the ___________ Borough Council authorizing the acceptance of "Division of Highway Traffic Safety Grants."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Method

SAGE System Records

What You Will Find

These grants are tracked by Project Number. You can request the "Sub-grant Agreement" which lists the specific "Performance Targets" (number of tickets) ___________ promised to hit.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary: Why the 402 Link Matters Now

Stop in __________Done to satisfy 402 grant performance targets.

No Court Date on Ticket A result of administrative haste to process "grant stats." 

How to Frame the "New" 402 Information

When you mention the 402 grants in your opposition, frame it like this:

"Discovery is required to reveal the financial nexus between the Federal 23 U.S.C. § 402 program and the ________ Municipal Corporation. This evidence will prove that the stop in ______ was part of a revenue-generating 'policy' rather than a public safety 'law,' which is a necessary element of Plaintiff's Monell claim." 

Your Discovery "Checklist"

Category

Federal Funding

Specific Item to Request

Copies of the SAGE Grant Application for FY 2024–2026 showing the "Performance Goals" for Glen Ridge.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Category

Internal Affairs

Specific Item to Request

The "Administrative Case File" for your citizen complaint (this is different from a criminal file).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Category

ADA Compliance

Specific Item to Request

The ________________ Police Department's ADA Coordinator name and their written policy for towing vehicles with handicap plates.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Category

Territorial Limits

Specific Item to Request

The officer's GPS/AVL logs showing exactly where the "stop" and "tow" took place in ___________.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the Judge/Prosecutor: By ignoring your "Notice to Show Cause" and issuing a warrant without a court date, they acted in "clear absence of all jurisdiction." Your original complaint likely frames this as a "ministerial" failure, not a "judicial" one.


Comments