Court: Former Camden officers can sue for alleged retaliation

The case of three former Camden police officers who say their department retaliated against them for speaking out against a patrol method - which they viewed as an illegal ticketing quota - can head to trial, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.

The court, in reversing part of a ruling from U.S. District Court, said the officers have enough evidence to file a claim under the Conscientious Employee Protection Act, which protects whistle-blowers from retaliation by employers.

The allegations in the case date to 2009, when the patrolmen's union sued the city police department, which has since been disbanded and replaced by a county-run force. The union was led by John Williamson. Then-Officers Charles J. Holland and Anthony Galiazzi also sued.

They alleged that quotas had emerged after the department, in 2008, required officers to perform "directed patrols" - which meant engaging with residents not suspected of crimes.

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