Firms selling police uniforms without verification face dressing-down in N.J.

A New Jersey lawmaker wants to keep police uniforms out of the hands — and off the backs — of criminals.

Legislation introduced by Assemblyman Ron Dancer would require businesses that sell police uniforms to verify that buyers work for a law enforcement agency.

“In this terroristic era that we’re all living in, we need bills like this to be able to have a pre-emptive strike to go after anyone who is attempting to purchase a law enforcement uniform and be a lookalike cop — and then just simply slip through our security points,” said Dancer, R-Ocean.

It’s already a crime to impersonate a policeman, but Dancer said the state needs to take steps to prevent criminals from getting the uniforms.

“Hopefully, the Legislature will take this up now in the New Year, and we can just take another step to secure the safety of our public and prevent a police uniform from going on an impostor,” he said.

If the measure is enacted, violators could face a disorderly person’s offense and fines up to $1,000.