August 1,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex) introduced a bill in June 2016 that would allow New Jersey Police officers to survey drivers’ cell phones using an “electronic scanning device.” The device is called the ‘Textalyzer’ . , but the bill currently sits in the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee.
Under the Codey bill, a driver could be fined anywhere from $300 to $1,000 and have their license revoked for up to 10 years if they refuse to give their cell phone to an officer, depending on the number of past offenses.
Very similar to the states “Breathalyzer” ,where motorist are not free to refuse it.
Civil liberties groups worry the ‘textalyzer’ violates motorists’ privacy and the Fourth Amendment and is an other opertunity for police to conduct warrant-less searches .The device is plugged into a driver’s smartphone and time-stamped information is downloaded about apps used prior to an accident.
