Paul A. Sarlo

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Paul A. Sarlo and John A. Girgenti that would create the crime of “leader of an organized retail theft enterprise” and impose prison time on persons found leading or participating in organized theft rings received unanimous approval today from the full Senate.

“This bill is designed to go after everyone involved in shoplifting rings, including ring leaders, not just the low men on the totem pole,” said Senator Sarlo, D-Bergen, Essex and Passaic. “In the past, it was always the lower level workers being arrested because store employees were able to catch them with the stolen merchandise. This bill would target entire shoplifting organizations, and penalize everyone involved.”

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Paul A. Sarlo and John A. Girgenti that would expand current shoplifting laws by establishing penalties for “organized retail theft enterprises,” received unanimous approval today from the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee.

“These theft rings are responsible for taking $30 billion worth of merchandise nationwide,” said Senator Sarlo, D-Bergen, Essex and Passaic. “As it stands now, if a person is caught shoplifting, he or she is the only one that is able to be prosecuted. This measure would also allow law enforcement to prosecute the ringleaders, and enable police to bring down entire operations, not just one or two people.”

TRENTON – A bill, sponsored by Senator Paul Sarlo, to facilitate construction of a training facility for the New York Jets was released today by the Senate Economic Growth Committee. The measure, S-2928, now awaits action by the full Senate.

“Today, New Jersey moved one step closer to landing the Jets,” said Senator Sarlo, who as Mayor of Wood-Ridge, is actively recruiting the Jets to his borough.

TRENTON – Senators Paul A. Sarlo and John A. Girgenti have introduced a measure to expand the State’s shoplifting laws by establishing criminal penalties for “organized retail theft enterprises.”

“FBI statistics show that organized theft rings have resulted in roughly $30 billion in losses for businesses nationwide,” said Senator Sarlo, D-Bergen, Essex and Passaic, who serves as Vice-Chair of the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee. “Any way you look at it $30 billion is a large sum of money, but it is especially large when taking into consideration the types of items these criminals steal. You have to take an awful lot of shaving cream and baby lotion to make it add up to $30 billion. This bill would increase the penalties for shoplifting and send a clear message to these thieves that we will not tolerate their attempts to defraud New Jersey’s businesses.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Paul A. Sarlo and Barbara Buono which would require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to disclose certain identifying information to law enforcement agencies investigating a crime was approved by the Senate yesterday by a vote of 38-0, receiving final legislative approval.

“Unscrupulous individuals are turning to Internet crime, because it’s become very hard to track down the criminals’ identities,” said Senator Sarlo, D-Bergen, Essex and Passaic. “We want to respect the privacy of citizens, but at the same time, we cannot give criminals a loophole large enough to drive a truck through. By asking ISPs to cooperate with police officers to investigate wrong-doing, we are finding the middle ground between a legitimate law enforcement need and the freedoms of law-abiding citizens.”

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Paul A. Sarlo that would require children who wear prescription eyeglasses while participating in sports activities to wear protective eyewear was approved today by a vote of 30-7 in the Senate.

“When it comes to kids and sports, an eye injury is much different than a twisted ankle or pulled calf muscle; it can mean the difference between sitting out for a few games and permanent blindness,” said Senator Sarlo, D-Bergen, Essex and Passaic. “Statistics show that protective eyewear helps prevent 90% of sports eye injuries. It only makes sense that we require young athletes to wear the protective eyewear.”