Editing Bellmawr, New Jersey (section)

== History ==
Bellmawr was authorized to incorporate as a borough on March 23, 1926, from portions of the now-defunct [[Centre Township, New Jersey|Centre Township]], and was made independent based on the results of a referendum held on April 21, 1926. The boroughs of [[Mount Ephraim, New Jersey|Mount Ephraim]], [[Runnemede, New Jersey|Runnemede]] and [[Lawnside, New Jersey|Lawnside]] were also created in the same two-day period.<ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. [https://www.state.nj.us/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin67.pdf ''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''], Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 103. Accessed May 22, 2012.</ref> The borough was named for Ernest C. Bell, who owned a farm in the area.<ref>[https://bellmawr.com/history-and-information/ History & Information], Borough of Bellmawr. Accessed May 10, 2022. "The borough was named for Ernest C. Bell, who owned and operated Bell Farm."</ref><ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. [http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/356/nj_place_names_origin.pdf#page=8 ''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''], New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 27, 2015.</ref>

In 1966, the Bellmawr Police Department investigated several officers for [[ticket fixing]]. The officers were ordered to cooperate with internal investigators and give statements and told that they would be fired if they refused to do so; upon answering the investigators' questions, the officers were criminally charged. In 1967, the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] ruled that the officers' self-incriminating statements violated the [[Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifth Amendment]] and [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment]], and that it was therefore unconstitutional to use their statements in a prosecution; the officers' convictions were overturned. The case, ''[[Garrity v. New Jersey]]'', led to the creation of the [[Garrity warning]], which advises government employees of their rights during internal investigations.<ref>Bruner, Bethany. [https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2021/03/25/city-issues-order-force-officers-give-evidence-protest-probe/6997346002/ "City issues order to force Columbus police officers to give evidence in protest probe"], ''[[The Columbus Dispatch]]'', March 25, 2021. Accessed March 25, 2022. "The protections are named Garrity rights after Edward Garrity, police chief of Bellmawr Township, New Jersey, who along with five other employees was told they must answer questions in a 1961 state attorney general's investigation into whether they were involved in fixing traffic tickets in Bellmawr and Barrington Township or lose their jobs. Their statements were later used to prosecute and convict them. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned their convictions in 1967, ruling in ''Garrity v. New Jersey'' that the statements of Garrity and the other employees, made under threat of termination, were unconstitutional because they were compelled by the state in violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments."</ref>

In late October 2001, the Bellmawr post office was closed due to possible [[anthrax]] contamination in the wake of the [[2001 anthrax attacks]]. The office was re-opened several days later, in early November, after testing negative for anthrax.<ref>Hinnant, Lori. [http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/bioter/anotherregionalNJcase.html "Another regional N.J. post office is closed after employee develops possible skin anthrax"], copy of article from ''[[Newsday]]'', October 31, 2001. Accessed May 22, 2012. "BELLMAWR, N.J. -- A mail handler at one of New Jersey's largest postal facilities appears to have skin anthrax, raising more fears that tainted letters have contaminated the postal system and spread the infection."</ref>

In 2017, Bellmawr joined [[Cranbury, New Jersey|Cranbury]], [[Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey|Egg Harbor Township]], [[Montclair, New Jersey|Montclair]] and [[Woodbridge Township, New Jersey|Woodbridge Township]] as one of the first five municipalities in the state that have authorized dispensaries to sell [[Cannabis in New Jersey|medical cannabis]].<ref>Guion, Payton. [http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/11/marijuana_legalization_would_mean_tough_choices_fo.html#incart_most-commented_hudson_article "Marijuana legalization would force tough choice for N.J. towns"], NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], November 15, 2017. Accessed November 15, 2017. "NJ Advance Media reached out to mayors in all five towns that have medical dispensaries: Bellmawr, Cranbury, Egg Harbor, Montclair and Woodbridge."</ref>