As reported by nj.com, leaked audio from Governor Chris Christie’s closed-door speech to conservative donors in Colorado gives new details on the heated final days in the battle to cut public employee benefits. In particular, Christie said Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver personally asked him for Republican support to stay in power if dissident …

As reported by nj.com, two dozen Middlesex County police departments will share $120,000 in funds confiscated from criminals to develop community policing programs, Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said. The grants will be used to create programs that enhance public awareness and combat such crimes as bias intimidation, bullying and vandalism.

The prosecutor said 22 municipal …

As reported by nj.com, dozens of unions and public workers filed suit against the newly enacted pension and health benefit overhaul in federal court yesterday. The 58-page, 17-count suit charges the state violated the state and federal constitutions by suspending cost of living adjustments for at least 30 years, failing to make full payments …

As reported by nj.com, although he has a full-time, $248,000 per year job as Union City’s police chief, Charles Everett has been raking in thousands of dollars for off-duty work for keeping tabs on the city’s pool and athletic field. According to records obtained by The Jersey Journal through the state’s Open Public Records …

As reported by nj.com, with a flood of retirements, the sluggish economy, and a governor intent on shrinking the size of government, the number of public workers in New Jersey has dropped to its lowest level in eight years, a Star-Ledger analysis shows. New Jersey shed about 29,100 state and local government jobs …

As reported by nj.com, New Jersey’s Department of Corrections is preparing for the possibility of having to relocate hundreds of state prison inmates as Hurricane Irene approaches. The department issued a statement saying emergency evacuation plans are being dusted off at all 13 state prisons.

A primary concern is the Southern State Correctional …

As reported by nj.com, New Jersey’s standards for eyewitness testimony in the courtroom is unreliable and can encourage police misconduct, the New Jersey Supreme Court said in ordering a revision of investigative and court practices. The unanimous ruling follows a recent report recommending tighter restrictions on eyewitness testimony and is likely to have far-reaching …

As reported by nj.com, a Democratic state senator said that Governor Chris Christie is looking into eliminating the Division of Fire Safety, which is responsible for enforcing the state fire code, education programs, and firefighter training. In a news release criticizing the plan, Senator Jim Whelan said the administration wants to divide the …

As reported by nj.com, Ed Brannigan, the leader of the state’s second-largest police union, was elected national vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police last Thursday. Brannigan knocked out the incumbent, David Hiller, of Michigan, by a vote of 1,577 to 1,365 at the union’s national conference in Salt Lake City. He will remain …

As reported by nj.com, Camden officials are now working on plans to have the Camden County government take over the city’s police force. Camden County’s Board of Freeholders approved the concept last week. City officials had already signed on.

The parties have until September 30 to submit a detailed plan for review by the state’s …