On December 26, 2017, a former Sea Isle City (Cape May County) police officer filed a lawsuit against the New Jersey State Police Firearms Investigation Unit claiming that the agency is dragging its feet on processing his permit to carry a handgun.

In his lawsuit, Vincenzo J. Macrino claims that he has met all the requirement of the statute that permits retired law enforcement officers to carry a handgun.  Yet, despite seven months having elapsed since his application was submitted, the State Police Unit has not yet granted or denied his application.

According to the lawsuit, Sea Isle City Police Chief has “failed to sign off on [Macrino’s] application.  The lawsuit makes reference to “Macrino’s prior expungement” which may be a cause of the perceived delay.  According to an October 30, 2007 Cape May County Herald article titled “Chief Kennedy Latest in Sea Isle Police Woes” by Joe Hart, “Sgt. Vincenzo J. Macrino, 33, was charged with falsifying a police report in a summer 2006 underage drinking case, for which he was admitted into a pretrial intervention program in April that forced him to do community service, lose his job and not seek future public employment.”

Macrino’s lawyer, Michael B. Roberts of Somerset, is requesting an order to show cause hearing before Gloucester County Superior Court Judge David W. Morgan.

Chairman of the New Jersey Libertarian Party's Open Government Advocacy Project. Please send all comments to [email protected]