LD12 Senate candidate Brown calls on opponent Thompson to apologize for anti-police comments

NEWS RELEASE
September 13, 2011

Old Bridge – State Senate candidate Bob Brown, a retired police officer who was shot in the line of duty, is calling on his opponent in the November election to apologize to law enforcement officials for a disparaging comment he made last week about retired police. Assemblyman Sam Thompson, the Republican nominee for Senate in Legislative District 12, was replying to a call from Brown to forgo his public pension while he accrues a salary as a legislator, a practice known as “double dipping.”

In reference to Brown’s criticism of Thompson’s double dipping, the Assemblyman said to PolitickerNJ.com that Brown should “look at all his fellow law enforcement officers who retire and take a second career. Is he bothered by that?” (Source: PolitickerNJ)

“First Sam Thompson refuses to stop abusing New Jersey taxpayers by double dipping, taking both a public pension and public salary. Now, he has insulted police officers everywhere by comparing his selfish actions to their struggle to put food on their families’ tables,” said Brown, who went to law school after becoming permanently disabled because of a gunshot wound. “Police officers put their lives on the line every day to keep us all safe. Thompson owes all of them an apology.”

Thompson continues to receive both his salary and pension, totaling over $100,000 per year, despite calls from Brown to stop collecting one of the other. Brown currently receives a disability pension and has pledged not to collect it if he is elected to the State Senate.