Judge Rules New Jersey Troopers Can't Practice Law

After some of the recent examples of tar guard style law enforcement, letting them practice law would be like making Jack Kevorkian Surgeon General.

Wow a judge that just admitted what we all know, lawyers are lying scum suckers who actively and knowingly cover up their clients illegal activties. Wow. Who would have thunk it.

The hypocrisy is mind-boggling.

There is a conflict.......lawyers are scums and troopers are our first line of defense.

Gotta agree with the judge here.. we're out there to enforce the laws.. what do these guys want to defend the people they try to protect the public from for? I am sickened everytime someone I arrest walks into the court room with their sleazy lawyer, trying to weasel out of their charge.. I just don't get it.. either you want to be a private lawyer, or a cop.. you wanna practice law? do be a prosecutor and fight for your own side!

Double standard bull malarky. It's okay for the "judges" themselves to be both prior "prosecuting" and "defense" lawyers but if a Cop wants to make extra money to support his family he has to mow lawns and work overtime security gigs. If anything you think being more knowledgable about the law would be a benefit to the citizens they serve. Judges define hypocricy.

When I was on the job I knew of a Lt. in the next town who worked as a Attorney in addition to the Police Department. He handled divorces (we all know people that have had them right?) And wills, trusts and estates. He also handled when a company tried to defraud me out of some money. It was comforting to know my attorney was on my side and not just in it for a buck. Yeah, I can understand why we need to keep cops out of practicing law, they might bring ethics and who knows what else. In addition to the Lt from the other town my Chief had a Law degree but he didnt practice as an attorney. He would post legal decisions on the bulletin board. The guys that read the decisions seldom lost a case on a legal technicality.

Police officers are to honest to be lawyers...

That judge's ruling makes no sense. If the fear of conflicted interests is the rationale then they should bar all cops from any additional employment that's not law enforcement. Because you could be an interior decorator and see a client's cocaine stash while working in their home. Is there a conflict of interest there? Lawyers are bound by a code of ethics as well and can be disbarred for not following it. Some attorneys just choose to ignore that in return for profit. Even if the Cops were defense attorneys on the side it still wouldn't technically be a problem because defense attorneys are there to insure that the Constitutional safeguards are in place. In fact one would say that a good Cop plays the rolls of both prosecutor and defense attorney whenever they arrest someone.

I agree with Nightshift!

What BullS@#T. A cop trying to better him/herself and thier family. Since when did we become a Communist form of goverment. Judges think thier god! Not to mention them being afraid that one of the State Police Officers might find something in thier background. Its plain and simple - if you act as someones lawyer - then you cannot report the crime. Its that simple. Hey everyone stay out of the new "New Jersey Communist State". Where only the rich can dictate and the working man is screwed! Hey that sounds just like RHode Island also!