By Police1 Staff
WASHINGTON — The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) and the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police (NJ FOP) won a lawsuit this week against the state of New Jersey. The suit claimed New Jersey violated federal standards set in the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act (LEOSA).
The federal LEOSA statute was designed to allow law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms anywhere in the country, including when off-duty and retired, without a state-issued permit.
“The state’s flagrant and willful ignorance of federal law has sowed confusion and discontent among otherwise qualified law enforcement officers,” said FLEOA president Larry Cosme and NJ FOP president Robert W. Fox in a statement on June 21.
The court ruled in favor of the police groups, agreeing that the state of New Jersey had violated the federal LEOSA statute, according to the statement.
“Now, qualified law enforcement officers in New Jersey no longer need to live in fear of punishment for following federal law, but potentially violating New Jersey regulations,” Cosme and Fox continued. “We are thankful for the Court’s ruling in this case.”