I am sure he was just doing his job. I have always been treated with respect by the Mendham Township PD.

Common practice for Mendham Township PD

I would have to disagree because the MTPD does not normally stop you unless you are a high school student or someone that was lured in to sell drugs to our children.

I just wanted to add,I am very thankful for the MTPD. There have been many times when they have been very helpful to me. I feel our town is very safe because of them.

I understand why they pulled her over - driving to slowly- could have caused and accident but to assume she was drinking.??? That is excessive. They should focus on the cell phone and texting of many drivers in this town. Someone is going to lose their life because of it. That will be a sad day!!

Guys, great conversation on both sides of the issue. But we can't be libeling people or accusing them of things without backing it up. Smith, your opinion is WELCOME on the site. And if you feel they are overpaid for the job they do that is your right. But libeling them beyond that we can't allow. Please keep that in mind. And I would encourage you to repost either sans that material or with more supporting information. You can also send material to me at russ.crespolini@patch.com.

While I'm sure Mendham Township police do a very good job protecting their residents, there seems to be a generally wide perception that if you drive thru the Mendhams, especially in later hours, you're going to get tailed or pulled over. I suppose the intent is to be a deterrent to would-be DUI'ers. But even for us non-drinkers, much like the woman in this article, there's an expectation that you'll be pulled over for just about anything.

Not long ago, during evening hours, I swerved to avoid a deer on Rt 24. A Mendham Township officer pulled me over. He was less than cordial asking me why I swerved. He asked if I had anything to drink, and I politely told him no, that I simply swerved to avoid the deer, which he acknowledged he saw as well. Still, with no probable cause, he had me get out of the car and go thru the standard DUI tests "for his own confirmation". I eventually went along my merry way, but I'll avoid Mendham altogether whenever possible. Protecting residents is one thing. Having a reputation for being over-bearing to the motoring public is another.

I know someone who was terminally ill decided to die at home, but the couldn't keep the hospice nurses who were supposed to come around the clock because the got pulled over so many times by the Mendham police.

Many of my friends who live in Chester call the drive from the Black Horse to Chester "The Guantlet."

While I appreciate living in a safe town, the police often treat the residents like suspects for no justifiable reason. I've been on the receiving end of that myself and have met with the police chief about 2 years to tell him they have an image problem in town due to overzealous policing. Guess, he didn't believe me.

These strong arm tactics seem to be a growing problem in Mendham and Chester. In a prior Patch article the traffic stop numbers per month quoted by the Chester chief seems excessive to say the least. Sure would love to examine the stats on tickets issued to residents vs. non residents. Seems like these stops are an effort to justify the exorbitant salaries paid to "keep us safe". I applaud and thank Granny for taking a stand.

1) mendham twp police are generally pretty courteous- I have been pulled over on more than one occasion when I could have gotten a summons and did not- prior to being a resident of the twp, which I now- cannot say the same for Chester.

2) if you are driving 15 mph under the speed limit you are creating a hazard and generally pissing off the rest of us. If you are afraid to drive the speed limit, stay off the road. Those of us who drive hundreds of miles on local roads during the week don't want to deal with you and neither do the cops.

Hi Russ, The stats have consistently run at approx. 3/1 as you state. Perhaps the chief could release the stats for 2011 along with the ticketing of resident vs. non-resident numbers for comparison. May's decline in the number of stops may indicate an easing of the "police presence as a crime deterrent" blitz of earlier months, or 100+/- drivers have become law-abiding, or that officers are now using their discretion before making frivilous stop. I question this so called use of discretion as well. Does that mean that you and I can commit the same offense and have different outcomes? Perhaps the officer that stopped Granny should have used his discretion as well! We live in small towns and have given too much discretionary power to high paid officers with huge egos. I hope Granny teaches one good lesson!

Sandi, it might be safe to say that most of the tickets were issued to non residents and most of the warnings issued to town residents and holders of the get out of jail free cards. As for Officer Ambrosi stopping Granny, I see no problem with that because what if the person was in need of medical care or was searching for a residence of a friend. Maybe the person was searching for the next residence to break into and violate your personal space. Would he be "to high paid" then?

Sandi: real quick...remember the story is about Mendham Township Police and the stats and things you are referring to are for the CHESTER Township Police.

Also, video cameras are in the cruisers and Mrs. Meyer is obtaining a copy of the tape.

You also don't have to bet on those numbers, you can OPRA request information from your police departments if you are interested.

As are the salaries of all of your police officers. We are working on a series right now that details the training and specialization of the police officers and what they do on a daily basis. You might be surprised. I know I was.

Love this discussion guys, public safety is an important issue and I really appreciate your comments. :-)

Russ, I hope you will follow this story to it's conclusion. The real issue here is not about which town or a statistical analysis of data as much as it is about public perception of the departments in our area. I know that there are PO's that work diligently each and every day to protect and serve for all the right reasons. Sadly, that is not always the case. I do look forward to reading your series. Thanks for the opportunity to opine.

I don't have a horse in this race, but when a cop tells you that you were driving 15mph under the speed limit and your answer (out of left field) is "I drive a prius that gets 53 mile per gallon" it is kind of asking for further investigation.

Then when he says he thinks he smells alcohol, and she says that he should also be able to smell garlic and shrimp from dinner....why is anyone surprised.

Grannies can commit crimes as well. Grannies can drink too.

"I drive a Prius that gets 53 mile per gallon"... why is this relevant? I appreciate Professional Grandmas as much as the next person, especially since my mother is a PG to my baby boy, but the point is, driving below the speed limit can often times be just as dangerous as driving above the speed limit. Grannies shouldn't get special treatment.

I think MTPD is terrific and this officer was just doing his job; something he shouldn't be punished for.