By Jennifer Amato
Staff Writer
A gun-shaped cell phone case is causing concern among local police departments.
The North Brunswick Police Department recently shared a Facebook message that was originally posted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office in August 2015, which shows either a black or white cell phone encased in a holder that looks like the barrel, handle and trigger of an actual handgun.
“This cell phone case is not a cool product or a good idea. A police officer’s job is hard enough without having to make a split-second decision in the dark of night when someone decides, without thinking, to pull this out while stopped for a motor vehicle violation,” cited a press release from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at the time.
The post mentioned an incident in which several police officers were sent on a call for a possible gun. The officers were heavily armed with rifles and tasers only to find a man who was sitting at the beach with his family. The gentleman did not know he had caused such a stir. The responding officers soon realized they had encountered a case of bad judgement in the form of a cellphone case.
In a recent interview, Al Della Fave of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said that he first learned of the product from a closed law enforcement group and felt compelled to make the general public aware.
“Anything that in some way can be mistaken by law enforcement is an issue and could have tragic results in the right circumstance,” the former New Jersey State Trooper and former firearms instructor said. “If you have it in your back pocket and law enforcement is on scene, even if you grab it to show that it is a phone, it only takes seconds to react.”
Della Fave cautioned that trouble could arise in a location that is darkly lit or in a high stress environment, especially since the phone is in the “draw position” on the hip.
“It could end up being a tragedy where the officer is not able to ascertain that it is a weapon,” he said.
Della Fave said the post has gone viral since he originally shared it, and he has received responses from around the world.
“It has relevance for all time,” he said.
Contact Jennifer Amato at [email protected].