How is the Central Municipal Court of Bergen County Different from Other Municipal Courts?

There are 515 Municipal Courts in the State of New Jersey. The Central Municipal Court of Bergen County (Court Code: 0290) is different than almost every other Municipal Court in the State. The Central Municipal Court is a countywide court that was established based upon census data showing the large and dense population of Bergen County (N.J.S.A. 2B:12-1e). The Court is regarded as one of the biggest Municipal Courts in the State due to the sheer volume of cases that are filed with the Court each year. The recently published statistics reveal there were approximately 20,000 total filings with the Central Municipal Court over the past year, which include DUI-DWI offenses, Criminal matters, and Traffic Tickets.

The Central Municipal Court is located in Hackensack, but is unrelated to the Hackensack Municipal Court (Court Code: 0223). The Central Municipal Court can be informally dubbed the Sheriff's Court since the Court is primarily responsible for hearing cases that are filed by the police officers from the Bergen County Sheriff's Department instead of police officers from local towns or municipalities. In addition, the Central Municipal Court handles cases that allegedly involve offenses that occurred anywhere in Bergen County. On the other hand, the Hackensack Municipal Court is primarily responsible for handling cases filed by the Hackensack Police Department for offenses that allegedly occurred in the City of Hackensack. The Sheriff's Department provides assistance to all 70 municipalities in Bergen County from Fort Lee to Elmwood Park and from Mahwah to North Arlington, including patrolling all of the parks, roads, and highways such as Route 4 and Route 17.

Historically, the Central Municipal Court was located on the first floor of the Bergen County Courthouse (10 Main Street). Some of the notable judges that are now retired who presided over the Court include the Honorable Joseph H. Cerame, the Honorable Louis J. Dinice, and the Honorable Bonnie J. Mizdol. The Court moved across the street into a renovated office building (71 Hudson Street) in 2012. Originally, the County police officers were members of the Bergen County Police Department, however that department merged with the Sheriff's Department in 2015.

The information above is a brief overview of the Central Municipal Court of Bergen County. You should contact an experienced defense attorney who will explain all of your options and defenses based upon the specific circumstances of your case and work hard to reduce or avoid the potential negative consequences. All individuals accused of traffic offenses and other quasi-criminal offenses in New Jersey are entitled to the same constitutional protections as those accused of a serious felony crime, namely the right to be represented by an attorney, the right to remain silent, and the right to a speedy and fair trial where the State has the burden to prove each and every element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt.