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David Roach Democrat Mayor
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auth&appr;PD4 Roach4Mayor Comm. DCRoach Treas.
"NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW"
current retirement age is 60- and its not being enforced..-
lets raise it to 80? or when the cop can no longer eat donuts?
lol- i know- cheap shot- but the point- is if you or i break a law; we go to jail..
COP TILL YOU "DROP"- no seriously- read this next link: text - scroll below.. http://wane.com/2015/03/20/police-recommend-raising-retirement-age/
Fort Wayne Police retirement age may be increased to 70 -- and enforced
When Sgt. Bill Walsh retired last August at the age of 80, he was the oldest police officer in Fort Wayne history -- and 20 years past the mandatory retirement age established by city ordinance in 1982.
Under a proposal to be introduced Tuesday, however, the retirement age for Fort Wayne police would be increased from 60 to 70 -- and, according to Safety Director Rusty York, rigidly enforced.
"It's never set well with me that the statue says one thing and we did another," said York, who said only one officer would be affected should City Council pass the ordinance. According to departmental records, that would be Detective. Lt. Gerald Mungovan, who could serve until Dec. 31. Under the ordinance, an officer who turns 70 will be allowed to serve until the end of the current calendar year.
"It just got to be an issue. I think 70 is fair," York said of the non-enforcement of the current statute. The 70-year-old age limit is already in place for Fort Wayne firefighters, he noted. About 15 to 20 officers are currently between 60 and 70. The change would also bring officers over 60 into compliance with the Police Merit System ordinance.
When Walsh retired, he had been a Fort Wayne Police officer for 55 years, one month and 23 days, telling The News-Sentinel that "Until the last year, not a day went by that I didn't want to go to work. (But) it really is a different world. I probably missed less than 10 days (off work) in all those years ... but I don't miss it. I probably should have retired a long time ago."
York said safeguards are in place, such as regular firearm evaluations, to ensure that officers of any age remain fit for duty.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — It’s a proposal that gives Fort Wayne officers 10 more years on the force — and allows others to continue working without breaking the law.
Fort Wayne city code states that officers must retire by age 60. Last April, 15 Finds Out discovered at least eight officers over that age.
Now, public safety leaders have proposed an amendment that would raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 70.
“We were able to sit down quickly and get it resolved once we identified a problem,” said Tim Selvia, vice president of FWPD’s Labor Council. “The last time we had communication with the Public Employee Retirement Fund (PERF), it was that we had to follow our mandatory retirement age. And if we did not there would be a penalty to pay.”
That penalty involves DROP Benefits, a popular retirement plan for officers. State law says if an officer violates the mandatory retirement age, he or she can’t participate in the plan.
“We definitely didn’t want any of our members to pay a penalty for working past the 60,” Selvia said.
The Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) allows officers to pick a retirement date three years out. From that point on, three-years’-worth of pension money goes into a separate fund. On the day they retire, officers can collect that fund up-front in a lump sum.
The DROP is a popular retirement plan for Fort Wayne officers. It allows officers to collect three years-worth of pension money in a lump sum the day they retire.
“Depending upon their age it could probably range anywhere from $75,000 at a minimum to well over $100,000,” said Jim Neddeff with the Indiana Public Retirement System. “With the money they get, after they pay taxes on it, they can pay their mortgage off, basically get themselves completely out of debt.”
In April, one of the violating officers was in his 70’s and another in his 80’s. The latter has retired. According to Jon Bonar, president of the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association, the officer in his 70’s will be asked to retire by the end of the year, should the amendment pass.
Public Safety Director Rusty York said the motivation for the new retirement age isn’t pension benefits. He said the city is aligning the mandatory retirement age with current state law. The amendment required careful consideration because Fort Wayne is currently grandfathered into its own merit system. If the city makes drastic changes to public safety laws, the state could come in and force the city to adopt a model merit system.
York said the amendment is sponsored by Councilman Marty Bender, who also happens to be one of the officers over the age of 60. It will be introduced in city council Tuesday night.
15 Finds Out is working to see if any Fort Wayne officer has illegally collected DROP benefits over the age of 60.
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