Police & Courts
The police force, inured to student antics, are forgiving of some behavior — harmless high jinks are expected. Though fear of offending an influential family curtails the reach of law enforcement into the campus community, police are not so forgiving when dealing with transients and immigrants. They are unsurprised when they find professorial types snooping around old houses and cemeteries, especially if given excuses like “field trip” or “historical research.”
Discharging a firearm in New Jerusalem is illegal without good reason, as is possessing significant explosives such as dynamite or dynamite caps. Carrying a concealed weapon is legal, though almost suspiciously pointless in this placid place.
The New Jerusalem police are basically honest, but they do not move without good reason against men and women whom they rightfully see as their employers. Helpful officers often escort home drunks, especially those inebriates with of good social standing. Drunks who are rowdy and abusive risk being subdued, taken to the station, and booked; Judge Randall frequently hands out stiff penalties to those who cannot handle their liquor. As a whole, the force is well paid and satisfied, and relatively immune to one-time bribes from criminals and their ilk. The motorcycle police assigned to traffic duty are the most vulnerable, often accepting a few dollars in lieu of speeding citations.
Justice Court is held five days a week, starting promptly at 8:30 A.M. and lasting as long as court business provides. Judge Keezar Randall likely presides. Most misdemeanor arrests mean at least a night in jail, longer if it’s a weekend. Misdemeanors and other minor crimes call for warnings, fines, or short jail terms. Major felonies involve murder, kidnapping, grand larceny (theft of anything valued in excess of $250), and major destruction of property: such proceedings are bound over for trial at the Essex County Courthouse in Salem. Proceedings for some Commonwealth and all federal crimes are held in Boston, though arrests for them can be made anywhere in the state.
Type
Government, Law Enforcement
Location
Comments