When is an officer not an officer? That’s the question four former federal corrections officers with decades of experience are asking. Harold Bennette, Ron DuBerry, Maurice Curtis and Robert Smith are all retired from the D.C. Department of Corrections and all have sought—and been denied—permits to carry guns.
The officers filed a lawsuit contending that they should qualify for a permit under federal statutes that allow retired law enforcement officers to carry guns without obtaining state licenses. In court last week, the District’s attorney argued otherwise, claiming they weren’t actually law enforcement officers.
“The only thing police officers do that we don’t do is write tickets,” stated Curtis. “Everything else, we do.” Lead plaintiff DuBerry added, “Every time the FBI agents who’ve retired get a raise, we get a raise. If that’s not federal law enforcement, then what is it?”
We’ll continue to follow this ongoing litigation.
