Thanks! Are Retirement Credentials the same thing as Retirement Benefits?
The phrase is “retired in good standing.”
Vested pension benefits cannot be denied.
What can be denied is retirement credentials, i.e., a retired star and retired ID card.
Officers who retire while under investigation for a violation for which they could be separated from the department will be considered by the department to have left, “not in good standing.” The Mayor’s Office just needs to begin a blanket complaint investigation of non-compliers and if they retire before it is resolved, they will be leaving “not in good standing”.
They wouldn’t be able to carry firearms under HR 218 for starters.
Not sure; never heard the terminology used before.
I looked in the participant handbook for the Policemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago; I think they’re the entity that actually pays the pension. They don’t mention retirement credentials, but it does appear an employee would have to get some documentation regarding service signed off on by a supervisor in the police department. Without that, you’re not getting pension money.
Just a wild guess, but I think ‘retirement credentials’ is referring to the supervisor sign-off. But don’t quote me on that. LOL
Check this out:
https://www.policechiefmagazine.org/qualified-retired-officer-firearm-credentials/
U.S. federal law, under the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA), requires a retired or qualified officer possess both a photographic identification issued by his or her agency and an annual firearms qualification certification in order to carry a firearm in all U.S. jurisdictions.1 LEOSA also specifies who is eligible or qualified for these credentials. Though there is flexibility in meeting the firearms qualification requirement, how a former officer meets the photographic identification requirement is quite restrictive. Further, LEOSA does not provide policy or mandate issuance of photo identifications, and where no policy exists, problems can arise. Though many agencies have policies in place, discretionary issuance ultimately lies with the chief of police or agency executive.
LEOSA Definition of “Qualified, Retired”
Those who meet LEOSA criteria are considered qualified retired officers:
(1) separated from service in good standing from service with a public agency as a law enforcement officer
(2) before such separation was authorized by law to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of, or the incarceration of any person for, any violation of law, and had statutory powers of arrest or apprehension
(3)(A) before such separation served as a law enforcement officer for an aggregate of 10 years or more; or
(B) separated from service with such agency, after completing any applicable probationary period of such service, due to a service-connected disability, as determined by such agency;
(4) during the most recent 12-month period, has met, at the expense of the individual, the standards for qualification in firearms training for active law enforcement officers, as determined by the former agency of the individual, the State in which the individual resides or, if the State has not established such standards, either a law enforcement agency within the State in which the individual resides or the standards used by a certified firearms instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms qualification test for active duty officers within that State;
(5)(A) has not been officially found by a qualified medical professional employed by the agency to be unqualified for reasons relating to mental health and as a result of this finding will not be issued the photographic identification as described in subsection (d)(1); or
(B) has not entered into an agreement with the agency from which the individual is separating from service in which that individual acknowledges he or she is not qualified under this section for reasons relating to mental health and for those reasons will not receive or accept the photographic identification as described in subsection (d)(1);
(6) is not under the influence of alcohol or another intoxicating or hallucinatory drug or substance; and
(7) is not prohibited by Federal law from receiving a firearm.2
Providing they meet the above LEOSA criteria, former officers are eligible to receive photographic identification from their former agency. This does NOT include officers who resigned from their agencies in lieu of being terminated for cause or facing criminal charges.