retirement ?

[00svtlightning]

I have a question for all you leo's out there. Here in SD they just let a few state troopers retire, and then rehired them at their salary when they retired. Do they do things like that anywhere else or is it just here? Just seemed a little weird to me.

[PhilipCal]

Retired

I just retired from Alabama Dept of Public Safety. I'm just that. Retired. I'm almost as curious as you are. Check with some of your media, or visit the S.D. Highway Patrol website.

[00svtlightning]

the media is making a stink about it...not so much anymore but they did. It's not only the highway patrol doing it either, pretty much all of the state government offices are doing it...I just found it a little frustrating. They always gripe that they can't get anyone to go into those jobs around here but then they pull stuff like that.

[Groundhog]

It may be a DROP (Deferred Retirement Option) program. The way I understand it, you basically stop paying into your pension, because you're already capped out, but you keep working for a couple of years at your regular salary. We've been trying to get my city to consider it because our age penalties hurt officers that come on at a young age. You end up paying into a pension for 6 or 7 extra years, but you can't realize any benefit for it.

The benefit for the employer is they get a couple more years of service from an experienced person.

I believe Dallas PD and Philadelphia have DROP programs. Maybe someone here knows.

[00svtlightning]

From what I understand, the officials who do this retire/rehire program, they recieve their normal salary, along with payment for retirement, along with starting a new retirement program. Thats what the local paper said, but we know how objective they can be sometimes...Thanks for the input.

[olnacl]

nothing to see here

[00svtlightning]

It is a good deal for them but it's a little frustrating for someone who is trying to get started in law enforcement. The texas deal at least sounds a little more reasonable, than retiring and getting rehired at the same pay you were before you retired.

[Groundhog]

Dallas PD has the DROP program. The officers there work till 20 or 25 years (can't remember which one it is) "retire" and begin drawing retirement checks. The city then hires them back as "rookies", so they are at the bottom of the pay scale, and they keep working until they decide to retire for real.

Pretty good deal for both the city and the officer.

So say if you're a sergeant and DROP, do you stay a sergeant at the bottom of the sergeant's pay scale & draw your retirement? Or do you revert back to a Step 1 officer?

http://www.policepay.net/dallas/wage.htm

[Evtech]

I retired and am now working PT as the evidence/property guy at my PD. The town where I work won't let you back FT, unless you work for the Board of Education which is a separate entity.

Some retirees keep up their certification and get a job elsewhere.

[L-1]

Most law enforcement agencies in California are on the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS). PERS allows retirees to go back to work for another PERS agency under the following conditions:

1. You do not work more that 119 days in a year and do not work more than 1000 hours in a year. There is no limit on wages under this option.

2. If you took a public safety (police) disability retirement, you may go back to work full time in a non-peace officer capacity, provided that your salary, when added to to your pension, does not exceed what you would have made at top step if you had remained in your old job. Your tax free disability pension will be reduced by one dollar for every dollar you go over the cap.

For example, Joe Smith retired on disability as a sergeant in 1989 and got a pension of $3,500 per month. Today, a Sergeant with his old agency tops out at $6,000 per month. Joe may take a full time civilian job under PERS that does not pay more that $2,500 per month.

When you double dip like this as a retiree, you do not get additional benefits of any type - no additional retirement, medical or leave credits.

There has been a discussion of the drop program but it has not been accepted. As proposed, you would remain in your same rank and at your same pay but would not accrue additional retirement benefits. In addition, while you are working, your retirement pay would go into a deferred compensation account and you wouldn't be able to touch it until you really retire from your agency.

[00svtlightning]

Thanks for the info folks...

[olnacl]

nothing to see here

[Blue Leader]

Dallas PD has the DROP program. The officers there work till 20 or 25 years (can't remember which one it is) "retire" and begin drawing retirement checks. The city then hires them back as "rookies", so they are at the bottom of the pay scale, and they keep working until they decide to retire for real.

Pretty good deal for both the city and the officer.

Close...but not really how it works. San Diego has it as well.

Basically it works like this.....

I work 25 years and "retire" (go into the DROP program) at age 50. My salary is $80,000 per year (to make this easy). My "retirement" salary/pension is 75% of my salary....or $60,000. The monthly payments go into an annuity account at 8% interest. Meanwhile, I do NOT have access to this pension $$ while I'm in DROP.

I can be in the DROP for 5 years. While I'm in DROP, I'm still getting the same salary I "retired" at....$80K. I can even still be promoted but my pay will stay at that $80K. The "city/gov't agency" benefits because they are keeping a street wise, experienced officer who they no longer have to pay XXX% into the pension for (the pension sytem that I paid into for 25 years already takes care of that) the officer....and I don't get negotiated raises.

The police officers that stay in the system for 5 years are generally walking away with an annuity of **about** $400K.....a LT that just left in July walked away with about $630K in his account.

Does that make sense??

[Groundhog]

Yeah, and it sounds like a pretty good deal. No wonder my city council won't go for it.