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JB MDL gains concurrent jurisdiction in Falcon Courts North

Published June 21, 2012
By 2nd Lt. Alexis McGee
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- A concurrent jurisdiction agreement signed by Gov. Chris Christie this month gives the 87th Security Forces Squadron equal jurisdiction in Falcon Courts North.

Joint base officials will host a town hall meeting at 3 p.m. June 22 and June 27 in the Joint Base Theater here to discuss the agreement.

All housing residents in FCN are welcome to attend the meeting that will focus on the authority change, which allows the 87th SFS and civilian legal authorities to enforce and prosecute crimes in FCN.

This change comes after North Hanover Township representatives and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst officials worked together to achieve shared responsibility in the housing area.
With this agreement, both the state and federal government have the same authority in the area. The 87th SFS will share the responsibility of ensuring safety in the housing neighborhood.

"Safety is always a primary concern for our service members and their families both on and off base. This concurrent jurisdiction agreement allows us to provide support to our housing residents," said Lt. Col. Jeremy Novak, 87th SFS commander. "This change gives our security forces the authority to patrol the housing area to ensure safety among our service members and their families."

The 87th SFS will now be the primary agency responsible for providing police services for FCN. All calls made to JB MDL or Burlington County 911 dispatch pertaining to FCN will be referred to the 87th SFS for response.

The 87th SFS or Air Force Office of Special Investigations will investigate:
- offenses committed by service members.

- non-indictable offenses committed by civilians (which by New Jersey law can
include misdemeanors or disorderly person offenses). The 87th SFS will refer
the offense to federal magistrate court after the investigation.

-motor vehicle offenses. Offenses involving civilians will be referred to federal magistrate court. Offenses involving service members will be referred to the commander.

Civilians who commit a felony will be referred to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office or the United States Attorney's Office for investigation and prosecution.

FCN residents are encouraged to attend either of the upcoming town hall meetings for more information.