New Devices Will Photograph Cars Parked Illegally In Morristown

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A new parking enforcement pilot program will be launched in Morristown next week, and it involves machines snapping pictures of cars' license plates.

The town is launching the new system with what are called "safety sticks." These solar-powered devices will monitor different areas in Morristown, including near crosswalks and fire hydrants, and document cars and vehicles that park illegally, officials said.

Specifically, the devices use radar to detect vehicles and will take a time-stamped picture of a car when it arrives in a place it isn't supposed to park, retake a photo if a certain amount of time has lapsed, and take a photo when the car leaves.

Those images are then sent to the Morristown Police Department, where an officer will analyze the image, determine if it's a parking violation, and decide whether a summons is warranted.

There will be 11 of these devices across Morristown, on South Street between Pine Street and Community Place, according to Morristown officials.

In an interview with Morristown Green, Director of Public Safety Michael Corcoran said that these images were not to be sold to any third parties, adding that the program is exclusively for public safety rather than surveillance.

"The intent of this is not 'Big Brother' or surveillance; it's public safety," he said. "Safety sticks specifically were put in places where there's public safety concerns... As far as sharing that information, we're not sharing that information with anyone."

A 90-day pilot program with the safety sticks is set to commence on Oct. 1. After the program, Morristown officials will decide whether to continue, expand, or terminate the safety sticks.

The safety sticks have not created any new parking restrictions, officials said. All no-parking areas will still be marked by existing signs, pavement markings, or painted curbs.

Earlier this month, a man was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief after he destroyed a safety stick on South Street, police said.