A New Jersey police union announced Tuesday that it had won a dispute over a city demand that local police officers identify if they participated in the violent Jan 6 pro-Trump riot in the Capitol.
Bob Fox is the president of the New Jersey Labor Council Fraternal Order of Police A press release It was resolved by a complaint on behalf of members of the Neptune Superior Officers Association Lodge 19, “to preserve constitutional and contractual rights to our members.”
Fox said that on January 20, Neptune Township sent a notice demanding that “members identify if they attended the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021,” an incident they said at the police union . Explicit and disproportionately condemned in all levels. “
Fox said officers were informed that they would face disciplinary action if they did not respond to the notice.
“In particular, there was no indication, complaint, or information to indicate that any Neptune Superior officer was involved in the events of January 6 in Washington DC in any way.” “The FOP concluded that this investigation was done solely for political purposes and was not based on fact or reliable information.”
The police union then filed a complaint “requiring the validity of the notice to be challenged and forcing our members to respond,” and under the agreement of collective negotiations with the township of Neptune “a violation of our members’ rights.”
Fox said the township upheld the complaint, and therefore revoked the notice to police officers.
“The FOP and FOP-NJ Labor Council will continue to defend our members, without fail and with full resources at our disposal,” Fox said in the press release.
It comes amidst a number of current and former police officers, who have been arrested and charged in connection with the January 6 riots, in which five people died as a result of the chaos, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Siknik and a plain woman Shot Officer.
Federal authorities have already charged more than 100 individuals in connection with the riots, and investigators said on Tuesday that they are currently In search of over 400 possible suspects.
Acting US Attorney for DC Michael Sherwin said in a call with reporters that law enforcement had obtained more than 200,000 tips from the public and more than 500 search warrants and subpoenas.
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