Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 3

Asbury Park Press Thursday, July 7, 1 994 A3 NEW JERSEY ESTATE mmmi STAT Ginr purchase' toil held nip GOP berated for delaying measure to protect domestic violence victims By JIM HOOKER PRESS STATEHOUSE BUREAU TRENTON A measure that would bar anyone who has a restraining order issued against them from buying a gun is being bottled up in an Assembly committee and should be released to help protect victims of domestic violence, U.S. Rep. Robert G. Torricelli said yesterday. Torricelli, joined a Democratic co-sponsor of the bill and a companion measure at a Statehouse news conference, where the two criticized the Republican-controlled Assembly for failing to post the bills for a vote.

Both bills (A-1367 and A-1368) are in the Assembly Judiciary Committee awaiting hearings and a vote. A-1368 would prohibit for two years the pur- A 2-year-old Newark girl was found wandering alone in a Bronx subway train. Page A6 An Ocean Township man is part of a 39-member team that hit a Pick 6 Lotto drawing. Page A6 Mandatory confinement may be in store for tuberculosis patients who refuse to take their medicine. Page A6 An "unusual event" at the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant was blamed on mussels.

Page A7 A New Jersey congressman will introduce legislation aimed at increasing pipeline safety. Page A7 A man stormed into a store where his wife worked, killed her and then killed himself. Page A7 In a statement that Republican political operatives released at the news conference, Heck called the Democratic lawmakers' charges "an election year ploy being staged on behalf of Frank Lautenberg." Heck called the news conference "reprehensible" because it was designed, she said, to "pervert (the domestic violence issue) for political gain." Torricelli and Weinberg denied the charges, saying the timing of the news conference was meant to coincide with the national publicity domestic violence is getting through the O.J. Sim-' pson case in Los Angeles. The football legend is charged with murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

lence-related measures that in recent weeks won overwhelming approval in the Legislature. Assemblywoman Rose M. Heck, R-Bergen, also a co-sponsor of the bills, immediately struck back with charges that the attacks by Torricelli and Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, were politically motivated. She said Torricelli and Weinberg were attempting to boost the political fortunes of U.S. Sen.

Frank R. Lauten-berg, who is running for reelection against Assembly Speaker Ga-rabed "Chuck" Haytaian, R-Warren. Limit family court judges to the law Fhen parents divorce, who gets custody of their children? Under what condi tions? If juveniles are truants, what should be done? When should parental rights be terminated? What persons should be permitted to adopt a child? The answers to these questions, among the most significant in our society, are provided by the judges of our family courts. That may be unwise. These courts are presided over by hard-working judges of high quality and good intentions.

They know the law and apply it. But their most important decisions have nothing to do with law and everything to do with human behavior, concerning which, with rare exceptions, they have no in-depth knowledge and are given no in-depth training. When making decisions based on the character and emotional condition of litigants, family court judges rely on the expertise of others chase of a gun by anyone who has had a restraining order placed against them and would also require police to confiscate weapons at the scene of a domestic violence incident. A-1367 would establish a central registry of domestic violence restraining orders, paid for by a $10 fee for new gun purchases. "This Legislature has claimed credit for passing crime legislation, but for women in the state of New Jersey, their claims of victory ring somewhat hollow," Torricelli said in a reference to several other domestic vio psychologists, psychiatrists, other social scientists and probation officers when that expertise is available to them.

That reliance occurs daily in cases involving divorce, custody, visitation, termination of paren tal rights, adoptions and juveniles. Judges do what seldom can be done with any accuracy: they attempt to predict behavior. In MARTIN L. HAINES many cases, in thousands of domestic violence cases, for example, experts are not available; judges are obliged to reach their decisions without the assistance or the comfort of any expert advice. It is not surprising that these there," Karpinski said shortly after he was sworn in by Whitman in an afternoon ceremony attended by family members, department staffers and insurance industry lobbyists.

"We're looking to use that as a mechanism to gain input from the people 'What do you think about the automobile situation in the state of New Jersey and really interact and communicate with people," he said. The department would use July and August to gather putting together a package of reforms by the end of the year. One change under consideration is reducing the amount of mandatory insurance coverage, Karpinski said. DMV targets those who owe back surcharges TRENTON: Division of Motor Vehicles chief C. Richard Kamin said yesterday the state is beginning to crack down on motorists who owe surcharges for infractions.

Kamin said letters will be sent to 5,000 residents who have "just refused to pay" DMV surcharges. "We will take action in court, that can wind up with the garnishing of wages, and houses," he said. Kamin said the state is owed $200 million in back surcharges, assessed against motorists with at least six motor vehicle violation points. Former Kean counsel named to law position TRENTON: Attorney General Deborah Poritz yesterday appointed Jaynee LaVecchia as director of the Division of Law in the Department of Law and Public Safety. LaVecchia is currently the director and chief administrative law judge of the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law, which oversees the rulemaking activities of all the state agencies and publishes the New Jersey Register.

From 1986 to 1989, LaVecchia served as deputy chief counsel and assistant counsel to former Gov. Thomas H. Kean. Police: Robber couldn't wait for financial help ATLANTIC CITY: A convenience store thief got caught after he left behind documents containing his name and address. I Police yesterday said Ephraim Guadalupe, 25, of Atlantic City, was diafged Tuesday with robbing a mini-mart on Monday.

But as he fled, he dropped his application for financial assistance from a hospital, police said. He could get 10 years in jail if convicted. Train to Atlantic City to stop in Cherry Hill AMTRAK TRAINS traveling between Atlantic City and Philadelphia will no longer stop at Lindenwold Borough, but will begin stopping at a new station in Cherry Hill Township. The stop, initiated last week, is intended to offer a better location for Camden County residents and also allow passengers to attend horse racing and other special events at Garden State Park. The station, built by NJ Transit, is off Highway 70 on Cornell Avenue, one mile from the Garden State Park clubhouse.

Some sample round trip fares from Cherry Hill: $28 to New York, $40 to Washington, $23 to Harrisburg, Pa. The Atlantic City Express requires reservations. For further information and reservations, call Amtrak at 1(800)USA-RAIL. ASBURY PARK PRESS Volume 115. Number 159 1994 Asbury Park Press 3601 Highway 66 Box 1550 Neptune, N.J.

07754 Delivery Service News, Other Home Delivery TO CALL THE Advertising. Advertising, only when we define and appropriately limit the role of the family courts. My belief: The jurisdiction of family court judges should be limited, as nearly as possible, to issues of law and fact, issues falling within their areas of legal expertise. Behavioral issues should not be determined by trials and other protracted and expensive judicial hearings, but by judges who act on the recommendations of those who are expert in the behavioral disciplines or, particularly when factual issues require long hearings, on the findings and recommendations of hearing officers. Radical ideas? Not at all.

We already use them in many cases, as I will explain in my next column. I would extend them to many more. Martin L. Haines is a retired state Superior Court judge. His column appears on the first and third Thursday of each month.

Market Transition Facility, successor to the debt-ridden Joint Underwriting Association. The bailout plan for the MTF, however, has come under fire from Democratic lawmakers. The lawmakers criticize the administration for selling bonds to pay off half the debt. The bonds will be repaid through a surcharge on about 800,000 so-called bad drivers in the state. The insurance industry will be assessed to pay off the other half of the debt.

Whitman yesterday also cited Kar-pinski's work on "a potential problem with Shore insurance," referring to a proposal advanced by Karpinski designed to lure insurers back to the New Jersey coastline. Under the plan, policyholders would pay deductibles of from 1 to 3 percent for property damage up to a mile from the water. New insurance coinmissioner to hit the road By JIM HOOKER PRESS STATEHOUSE BUREAU TRENTON New Jersey drivers upset over some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation can take their frustrations out on the state's top-ranking insurance official at the New Jersey State Fair next month. No, newly sworn Insurance Commissioner Andrew Karpinski won't be taking a turn in the dunking pool at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill. But he will be taking suggestions from Garden State motorists who have a beef about insurance coverage here.

At his swearing-in ceremony in Gov. Whitman's outer office yesterday, Karpinski announced plans to take the Insurance Department's business on the road, where he will meet with the public and seek suggestions for improved coverage in New Jersey. "There's a state fair coming up (and) we're going to have a booth July 6, 1994 NEW JERSEY PICK-3: 075; Straight Bet: $237; Box: Pairs: $23.50 PICK-4: 3987; Straight Bet: Box: $113 NEW YORK DAILY: 817 WIN-4: 8061 LOTTO 54: 7, 16, 18, 24, 34, 46 SUPPLEMENTAL: 8 PICK 10: 2, 4, 7, 17, 18, 27, 34, 37, 38, 41, 53, 54, 57, 62, 64, 66, 72, 77, 79, 80 PENNSYLVANIA DAILY: 711 BIG-4: 0865 New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania winning numbers are available at midnight. Just call: (908) 918-1000 Enter these four digits: 1750 State must uphold its anti-smog vow THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWARK The state must follow through on a commitment it made to reduce the amount of ozone-causing chemicals in the air from consumer products such as aerosol cans, a federal judge has ruled. U.S.

District Court Judge Harold Ackerman's decision means stores in New Jersey will be unable to sell certain products containing "volatile organic compounds," which contribute to smog-production, officials said. The ruling will primarily affect aerosol can products such as deodorants, air fresheners and hair sprays. The Press corrects its mistakes and clarifies stories ungrudgingly. Call the following numbers weekdays: (908) 922-6000 or 1-800-822-9770. 1 Stores 9am-1 Opm judges experience considerable stress.

Many of their decisions, which affect some of the most important aspects of people's lives, are based not upon the discipline of law, with which they are familiar, but upon unfamiliar disciplines dealing with human behavior. Other judges in other courts sometimes make such decisions, but far less often; frequently, they are able to shift the decisions to juries. There are no juries in the family court. Stress is multiplied by the enormous volume of emotion-laden cases brought before family court judges. Domestic violence cases alone, in a mid-sized county, arrive at the rate of 300 per month.

The fragmentation of the family justice system, heavily involved with state and private agencies over which it has little control, is another source of stress: It makes the system unmanageable. These conditions will be corrected During the ceremony yesterday, Whitman praised the 53-year-old Kar- pinski, co-founder of a Parsippany-Troy Hills Township insurance firm, calling him "someone who truly represents the people and the interests of the people in this state." Karpinski, who has until October to find a buyer for his firm, Burkar Associates has served as acting commissioner since Whitman nominated him March 1. He was confirmed for the Cabinet post by the full Senate in May, said Kathleen Bird, insurance department spokeswoman. Whitman praised his work to clear up the $1.3 billion deficit in the defunct state auto insurance pool, the was postponed at the request of Hagerty's attorney. No new date has been set, said Becky Taylor, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General's office.

Hagerty is a civilian employee of the state police and is supervised by the Attorney General's office. "No disciplinary action has been taken," Taylor said. Hagerty, of Neptune, has been a state employee for seven years, first serving as a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection and Energy, then the Attorney General's office. Hagerty earns $65,000 a year as the' state police's top spokesman. The accident will be studied by the state police accident review board.

The board investigates any accident by a trooper or civilian in a state police car. State police will not confirm whether Hagerty was given a blood alcohol test. Tinton Falls mob hit "Jimmy" Randazzo, 46, of Belleville. Randazzo was shot several times last year in a car at the parking lot of the Holiday Inn on Hope Road in Tin-ton Falls. Randazzo was also alleged to have been a member of the Colombo crime family in New Jersey.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark W. Rufolo and Lombardino's lawyer, Edward J. Crisonino of Haddonfield, spent the day selecting jurors before U.S. District Judge Anne E.

Thompson. The judge told potential jurors yesterday that the trial may continue until the first week of August. Spokesman for state police charged with drunken driving PRESS Toll free in state Local, out of state Classified l-800-822-8988 1-908-922-6050 Display l-800-822-9770 1-908-922-6000 ONE Depts. Rates Ext. 3700 1-800-822-9779 1-908-922-6080 l-800-822-9770 1-908-922-6000 Mail Subscription Daily Sunday $1.50 Sunday Only $1.90 4-12 weeks $7.35 $2.35 13-51 Weeks $7.15 $2.25 SHOP TODAY 8-11 $2.30 1 year $6.90 $2.15 $2.40 rate $2.95 Copy Exclusive Rate (Middlesex, Somerset, Union, Hunterdon, May) Delivery Service $1.50 rates for students, servicemen and single copies request.

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We'd from Sat.Sun.Mon. Mon, thru Sat. Special 7-day Sunday Single Out of market Atlantic, Cape Contracted Subscription available upon Daily Single Vending Machine SAVINGS STOREWIDE! THE ASSOCIATED PRESS JACKSON TOWNSHIP The chief spokesman for the New Jersey State Police was charged with drunken driving following an accident in an unmarked police car, said state police officials yesterday. John Hagerty, 40, was traveling east on Interstate 195 June 24 when he fell asleep at the wheel, said Capt. Thomas Gallagher, a state police spokesman.

Hagerty's car drifted onto the highway median then back into the eastbound lanes hitting a pickup truck, Gallagher said. No one was injured, and both vehicles received minor damage. Hagerty had been allowed to take the police car home that night because he was assigned to the World Cup games in East Rutherford the following day, Gallagher said. A court hearing, set for June 30, Jury picked in suspected PRESS STAFF REPORT TRENTON The jury that will hear the murder and conspiracy trial of Salvatore Lombardino was selected yesterday and opening arguments are expected to begin this morning. Lombardino, 62, of Warren Township in Somerset County, is alleged to be a member of the Colombo organized crime family.

He was named in a federal indictment earlier this year that charged him with conspiracy and murder for racketeering purposes in the shooting death of James V. A TT TT I A I I Shop Furniture Rte. like to hear you! Jody Calendar DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR Peter E. Donoghue, ext. 4265 Deputy Managing Editor (after 6 p.m.) I I A II iXLJ NEW JERSEY news appears every day in the ASBURY PARK PRESS.

Readers are invited to write or call Press news offices to share their opinions, ideas for news stories, photo suggestions and letters to the editor. INFORMATION on state and national news should be directed to Deputy Managing Editor Jody Calendar at (908) 922-6000, ext. 4275 or toll free at 1-800-822-9770. Letters may be mailed to her attention at the Asbury Park Press, 3601 Hwy. 66, Box 1550, Neptune, N.J.

07754-1551. TRENTON BUREAU: State House, Trenton, N.J. 08625 GENERAL NEWS Frederick J. Kerr, ext. 4255 Managing EditorNews.