Endorsing Bruce Polkowitz
for PFRS Retiree Trustee
As I write this, we have just completed a midterm election, and no matter which
way everyone voted, we now move forward. However, on a much more local and
personal level, we have an election coming up in December that will affect all of
our lives for years to come.
This is the election for seating a retired member on the new PFRS Trustee Board,
which we fought so hard to get approved. As you know, when the governor signed
the bill in July, PFRS members gained control of our pension funds and the ability
to direct, oversee and audit those funds. It’s a tremendous opportunity but also a
JIM
huge responsibility.
TOMA
As retired PFRS members, we have the duty to elect one of our own to this board
who will directly represent our interests, including the long-term viability of the
STATE
pension and of course the resumption of COLA in a fair and responsible manner.
DELEGATE This trustee position is perhaps more important to us than anything else, and it re-
quires a great deal of experience in managing funds, auditing budgets, accounting
practices and business and financial acumen. The person we elect needs to be available, energetic,
dependable to attend meetings in Trenton on short notice and tech-savvy in this modern world of
investing.
Within Local 600, we have so many members who care deeply, who want to make a difference,
who have made a difference in the past and we appreciate and thank them all for caring. But this
is not the time for popularity contests or name-recognition voting. We need the right person to
secure our future. So Local 600, along with the NJ State PBA trustee nomination/endorsement
committee, evaluated, interviewed (in some cases) and looked at the totality of each member in-
terested in running for the position.
Following that exhaustive and detailed assessment, the Local 600 committee, along with the
State PBA, unanimously endorsed Bruce Polkowitz, retired captain from Edison PD. Bruce spent
29 years in the department and worked his way up to commander of patrol, while always remem-
bering his roots in patrol and caring for the officers he led. Bruce was a dedicated, honorable and
trustworthy law enforcement leader and one of the founders of the PBA legal defense plan, which
has grown into one of the largest plans in the U.S., representing police officers in their time of need.
Also, Bruce was elected to the Edison Township Board of Education and served for seven years,
managing budgets exceeding $150 million annually. When Bruce relocated to Franklin Township
in Hunterdon County, he served three years on the Board of Education and was elected mayor in
2012, serving a three-year term.
I have personally met with Bruce on several occasions during the past months to get to know
his goals and objectives for this position. His desire to achieve our stated goal of financial stability
and his ability to achieve this result have led me to fully endorse Bruce Polkowitz for the position
of Retiree Trustee on the NJ PFRS Board. I ask all to join me in supporting Bruce. The election will
begin in December with online voting, but paper ballots can be requested by calling 609-292-3639.
HR218 update
For all members who were waiting for the attorney general ruling/interpretation on LEOSA,
HR218 and the NJ RPO card issued by the NJ State Police, it was released on Oct. 12. You can view
this document in its entirety on our website or the State PBA website. It’s four pages long and cov-
ers in a question-and-answer format the questions we asked the AG.
We know there has been much confusion over these issues, especially after the February letter
from the State Police which advised using LEOSA as your guideline for carrying in New Jersey. As
you will read, forget all that — the AG has decided that his interpretation of the federal law is not
for retired police domiciled in New Jersey to carry under that law, but to bar criminal prosecution
of retired law enforcement officers who carry concealed firearms through interstate commerce.
When asked if LEOSA provides an alternative path to carrying for retired law enforcement of-
ficers living in New Jersey without applying for an RPO state permit, the answer was “no.” Now, I
don’t want to interpret each and every question for you, so I advise you all to read the document
and understand it. For better or worse, if you intend on carrying a firearm, concealed or open, right
we all must apply for the RPO card issued by the State Police, with all the restrictions that come
with it.
Dental plan update
Lastly, for those waiting on the dental plan information, all contacts are now listed on our dis-
counts page. This plan is offered to us at a discounted rate as members of Local 600. Members
currently enrolled will have no interruption of service, and new members can still join by using
the new contact information. There will be no direct link from our website to this plan, as it is an
outside vendor. This is done for legal, financial and convenience reasons.
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ NOVEMBER 2018