In an earlier blog, we had reported about the horrific killing of Tamara Seidle, mother of nine children and ex-wife of Neptune Police Sergeant Phillip Seidle. Specifically, Tamara was allegedly shot by her former husband in front of their 7 year old daughter proceeding their high-conflict divorce in Asbury Park, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Since that story made worldwide headlines, domestic violence law justice advocates took to the airwaves discussing this ugly yet secretive epidemic around the state of New Jersey and United States.

In this case, there were allegations made by the deceased wife of domestic violence incidents that went on for years without being reported. In divorce papers, the deceased alleged that she had “no avenue of escape.” Statistics even suggest that law enforcement families are prone to more domestic violence. Currently, there is no rule in effect where Phillip Seidle worked that off-duty officers should leave work-issued weapons at the station.

Advocates fighting for domestic violence law reforms are calling for stricter measures in the wake of this tragedy, even though New Jersey stands out as having some of the toughest domestic violence laws in the country. Notwithstanding, each year in New Jersey there are about 65,000 domestic violence incidents reported to the police. Specifically, in Monmouth County alone, there are about 4,642 reported cases of domestic violence as well as 4,587 that were reported in Ocean County.

Since the Ray Rice domestic violence case in 2014, four domestic violence bills were introduced in New Jersey; however, they have been buried in various legislative committees. Two bills involved the judiciary:

• Bill A3801 called for the establishment of a 3 year Domestic Violence Court pilot program in Monmouth and Camden counties.
• Bill A3803 mandates that all judges and judicial personnel receive at least a required minimum of three hours of domestic violence training.

While the other two bills were directed at helping the actual victims of domestic violence:

• Bill A2154 allows the victims of domestic violence to testify against the alleged abuser by close circuit television in the prosecution of domestic violence crimes or offenses provided the victim would suffer severe or emotional distress if they testified in open court.
• Bill A3803 would upgrade a domestic violence assault crime to an aggravated assault crime, which is a third degree crime that mandates a prison term of three years for offenders who injure their victims

The Bronzino Law Firm: Representing Clients In Domestic Violence Matters

If you have been a victim of domestic violence or have been accused of such offense, please contact The Bronzino Law Firm located in Brick, NJ Divorce Attorney for an initial free consultation at (732) 812-3102. Our office serves the surrounding communities, including Ocean County and Monmouth County. We look forward to helping you fight for your legal rights and developing solutions that best meet your individualized needs.