Given the large population, it is no surprise that an estimated 636 disorderly persons offenses were written in Brick Township in 2010 alone. Disorderly persons offenses are a general category of offenses less serious than indictable offenses of varying degrees and are commonly written by Brick Township police. If you are convicted of a disorderly persons charge, you can face a $1,000.00 fine, be ordered to pay restitution, spend up to six months in jail, and pay other monetary fines and penalties.
Disorderly conduct is a common disorderly persons offense that is written when a person is caught: fighting; threatening; engaging in violent or tumultuous behavior; creating a hazardous or physically dangerous condition; or engaging in unreasonably loud, offensive or abusive language.
Often, a police officer will issue a disorderly conduct charge to someone who is acting in a way as to cause public inconvenience, annoyance, or recklessly creating a risk of such. It is used as a catch-all law to arrest persons engaging in fighting, threatening, violent behavior, or creating physically dangerous situations, or using offensive language.