I know with New York State's retirement system, the amount of your pension is based consecutively, on your 3 highest years in service. I don't know how many years he was in his current position to know if it would have been in his favor to retire when he reached the age. There could have been other factors, like kids still in college, or heading to college, which usually forces a parent to stay in a job like that longer than they actually want to. I haven't been able to find out what his age is, but in New York State, as a Sergeant in the prison system, and in the retirement tier I was in, I had to be 55 to retire, and get my full pension benefits.
I just hate to see people stay on the job...especially such a demanding job...any longer then they have to. I’ve seen too many cases where people have way over stayed their career and are found face down on their desk never to enjoy their retirement.