JERSEY CITY
FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE
LODGE #4

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FOR 2020

Fraternal Order of Police Scores Victory at Supreme Court License Plate Check (April 6, 2020)

Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, applauded the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Kansas v. Glover which held that running a license plate check on a vehicle is not an infringement under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

“We are very pleased with today’s decision and consider it a victory for reasonableness,” Yoes said. “Our highly trained and committed officers use technologies like license plate checks and their best judgement, like stopping vehicles whose owners have had their driver’s license suspended.”

In this case, a Kansas deputy sheriff ran a license plate check on a vehicle and discovered that the owner of the vehicle, Charles Glover, had his license to drive revoked. The deputy made the reasonable assumption that the vehicle’s owner was likely driving, pulled the vehicle over and discovered Mr. Glover was in fact driving his own vehicle without a valid license and was charged as a “habitual violator.” The defendant argued that the stop was a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights because the deputy witnessed no traffic violations. In an 8-1 opinion, the court ruled that the deputy’s decision to make the traffic stop was not an infringement of the Fourth Amendment and was based on reasonable suspicion. When the Supreme Court decided to take the case, the FOP filed an amicus curiae in support of the deputy’s actions.

“This was clearly the right decision—to have ruled otherwise would have jeopardized the ability of law enforcement officers to make judgement calls to protect the safety of our roads,” Yoes said. “I am proud that the FOP played a role in getting this case decided.”

Governor Murphy extends carry permits for retired law enforcement officers (April 28, 2020)

TRENTON – Governor Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 129, which extends Retired Officer Carry Permits by a period of 90 days until after the ongoing Public Health Emergency ends. The order also creates a process for individuals seeking to obtain or renew a Carry Permit to demonstrate the ability to safely handle and use a handgun as required by existing law.

“Retired law enforcement officers should not need to worry about the expiration of their carry permits,” said Governor Murphy. “At the same time, we must ensure that those applying for or renewing a carry permit have the ability to complete all legal requirements needed to obtain one. This executive order ensures that our strong, commonsense gun safety measures are in place while respecting existing law governing access to firearms.”

Executive Order No. 129 extends Retired Officer Carry Permits that expire during the term of Public Health Emergency declared in Executive Order No. 103, including those that expired after the issuance of Executive Order No. 103, until 90 days after the Public Health Emergency ends. The order further creates a process for applicants seeking to obtain or renew a Carry Permit to complete training, practice, or testing required by law, including by granting access to shooting ranges. Shooting ranges that are closed to the public under Executive Order No. 107 may only offer access to the above individuals, and must comply with social distancing practices where practicable.

The order will take effect immediately.

Amid Funding Shortfall, Lawmakers OK Pension Boost for Cops, Firefighters (March 6, 2020)

Change would allow retirement at half pay for police and paid firefighters with 20 years on the job, regardless of age; cost concerns raised by local government officials

Representatives of local government said the change could put new pressure on the state’s already high property-tax bills.

A proposal to allow New Jersey police officers and firefighters to retire with half pay after 20 years of service cleared a Senate committee on Thursday after union officials told lawmakers it should help prevent stress-induced burnout and even suicides.

“It’s a tough job we do,” said Robert Gries, executive vice president of the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police. “Some of us see things that no human being should have to see.”

But others spoke out against the proposed change, which would allow any police officer or firefighter, regardless of age, to collect half of their final compensation as an annual retirement benefit once they’ve been on the job for 20 years, instead of having to wait until they turn 55, as they do now.

Representatives of county and municipal governments said the proposal could worsen the unfunded liability for pension funds covering thousands of police officers and paid firefighters across the state. It could also put new pressure on the state’s already high property-tax bills, they warned.

“Taxpayers do have a vested interest in making sure the pension funds are solvent and strong,” said John Donnadio, executive director of the New Jersey Association of Counties.

While New Jersey has one of the worst-funded state-worker retirement systems in the country, not all of the pension funds operate under the same rules or are in the same condition. For example, there are different contribution rates for workers depending on whether they are teachers, judges, police officers and firefighters, or other government workers.