Hotel registration ordinance introduced
Measure would give police access to guest lists
BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

An ordinance that will monitor guests at local hotels and motels was introduced last week at the Borough Council meeting.

The Hotel/Motel Guest Registration section of the Police Regulations of the Revised General Ordinances, if passed, will require that the operator of a motel/hotel obtain and maintain registration information on all guests and permit inspection of the registration by a peace officer. It also requires that the records be held for 60 days from the time the guest registers.

The ordinance also states that any person renting a room for more than 14 days will be required to complete a new registration.

Chief Gerald Turning said last month that he wants the ordinance adopted because there have been a number of problems at motels in town, especially in motels where there are permanent residents. These motels are privately owned and are in the southern end of the township, along Route 33.

According to the ordinance, the registration requirement will facilitate the investigation of any reported disturbances. The proposed ordinance allows "any peace officer" at anytime to have access to the hotel registration list without reason.

Two council members think the ordinance needs to be "tweaked."

Council President Brendan Tobin said he will discuss the issue of privacy and who has access to the information at the public hearing which is scheduled for Feb. 6.

Councilman Michael Skudera voted against the ordinance when it was introduced.

"I believe access to these records should only be obtained from a court order," he said, adding that he had brought up that issue in prior workshops.

Tobin, who voted for the measure, said later in the week, that he voted to introduce it because "we can amend it during the public hearing portion."

A similar ordinance was voted down last year. "The last version, the one we all voted down, was too wide open to fix it during a public hearing. Fortunately, another town, Point Pleasant Beach, voted in one that was a lot closer to what we want in Tinton Falls," he said.

"This raises privacy concerns. In addition, peace officers are sometimes dressed in plainclothes and someone pretending to be an officer could present the hotel worker with a fake badge to gain access to private information," Tobin said.

He added that Skudera is correct to be concerned about who has the right to access the hotel guest information, but that doesn't mean the law isn't needed.

"Mike's been in the forefront on this information access issue since one of our borough officials asked for access when he didn't need it. We need this law, in my opinion, because we have problems with the local hotels and motels," Tobin said.

"We need to make sure that this information is only accessed in time of investigation. I favor getting a court order, which is very simple to do. I share Mike Skudera's concerns and views and will have that as part of the public hearing," Tobin said.

Two additional ordinances were also introduced by the Borough Council last week. If they are adopted, administrative fees for developers will rise significantly.

The two fee ordinances will have to be reviewed by the Planning Board within the next month before a public hearing can be held sometime in March.