NJ Supreme Court: Suspects must be informed in native language

[Quantum Windbag]

We NEED to define English as the official language in this country and avoid this inane bullshit.
@ george - that should in no way mean that a defendant would not get a fair trial or would not be afforded a translator for a trial. What is should mean is that we would no longer cater to a hundred languages throughout the country just because of your stubbornness to learn the language. Warning signs should not need to be in 5 languages and cops should not need to know YOUR language to have you take a breathalyzer. That is a rather stupid backwards way of accomplishing things.

@dante

The breathalyzer is a shitty technique to begin with.

Why? What is your issue with a breath test for alcohol? I would COMPLETELY support breathalyzer testing for anyone that is suspected of driving while drunk!

Testing them is fine, using a breathalyzer is not. They have been relying on these things for years, and only now are we seriously examining them for accuracy. Did you know that there are ways to hold at leat one model that almost guarantee someone will fail when blowing into them? Now that courts are starting to allow defendants to test the code used in them they are being proved to be prone to faults.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Wherever did we get the crazy notion that Liberal Judges want to tear down our society?

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Would a cop have to yell, "Put the gun down or I'll shoot!!!!!!!!!!!" in the native tongue too?

That would be awkward, right?

 

[FA_Q2]

We NEED to define English as the official language in this country and avoid this inane bullshit.
@ george - that should in no way mean that a defendant would not get a fair trial or would not be afforded a translator for a trial. What is should mean is that we would no longer cater to a hundred languages throughout the country just because of your stubbornness to learn the language. Warning signs should not need to be in 5 languages and cops should not need to know YOUR language to have you take a breathalyzer. That is a rather stupid backwards way of accomplishing things.

@dante

The breathalyzer is a shitty technique to begin with.

Why? What is your issue with a breath test for alcohol? I would COMPLETELY support breathalyzer testing for anyone that is suspected of driving while drunk!

Testing them is fine, using a breathalyzer is not. They have been relying on these things for years, and only now are we seriously examining them for accuracy. Did you know that there are ways to hold at leat one model that almost guarantee someone will fail when blowing into them? Now that courts are starting to allow defendants to test the code used in them they are being proved to be prone to faults.

Thank you, I was unaware of the devices accuracy. I guess I believed that because their prevalence the accuracy was established. If that is true then it needs to be addressed as we need an on the spot testing system for drunk drivers.

 

[chanel]

If someone is drunk and does not understand English (or pretends not to), how is the officer supposed to know what nationality they are? Seriously. If the guy is Korean, and they play the Chinese tape, will the case get thrown out? Or will the officer be sued for "racial ignorance"?

Immigrants are important to this state. But the smart ones learn the language, and insist that their children do. The dumb ones might find themselves in trouble when they break the law. Happens to dumb native born Americans too. True story.