Police officers are retiring and quitting at record levels
Police officers across the country are retiring and quitting at record levels.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, for example, saw retirements increase by 37 percent in 2020. But they claim the rise isn’t related to the push for police reforms across the country.
Steve Grammas, president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association sees it differently. He said he suspects that retirements are spiking in jurisdictions where political leaders have called for dramatic changes to police procedures.
New York City’s Police Department saw an 87 percent increase in retirements from 2019 to 2020. Union officials in the largest police force in the nation say the exodus is being fueled by pressure by racial advocates to defund police or impose major reforms.
N J police officers, firefighters can retire early under bill signed by Murphy nj.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nj.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The measure was included in enabling legislation that established New Jersey s recreational legal weed marketplace. Members of the Legislative Black and Latino Caucuses insisted on the ban as part of decriminalization legislation. It was, they said, a matter of social justice claiming police officers would stop and harass black and brown youth in greater numbers.
Parents, law enforcement and drug addiction experts all expressed outrage at the ban. The New Jersey Police Benevolent Association called the legislation treacherous and warned officers not to get involved in any situation involving marijuana. Attorney General Gurbir Grewal warned police could face criminal charges if they violated the ban.
Why some N.J. cops and firefighters might get to retire early with pensions
Updated Mar 04, 2021;
Nearly 8,000 New Jersey police and firefighters could become eligible to retire with a pension sooner than expected.
A bill (S1017) passed by the state Assembly and sent to Gov. Phil Murphy this week would allow public safety workers who reach 20 years of service within 25 months of the effective date of the bill to retire with a pension, regardless of their age.
Current law limits the early retirement benefit, the equivalent of half their salary, for public safety workers hired after January 2000 to those at least 55 years old. But unions say that’s because a 1999 law was misinterpreted by former Gov. Chris Christie’s administration.
Morristown Daily Record
Four Morris County police departments aren t happy with new state laws they say will keep them from notifying parents of minors using or in possession of marijuana or alcohol.
Last week, Gov. Phil Murphy signed three bills to regulate, decriminalize and allow the possession and use of marijuana by anyone over 21 years old in the Garden State. Under one of the new laws, underage drinking and marijuana use and possession are treated as an offense subject to written warnings instead of fines or other charges.
Florham Park, Mount Olive and Pequannock police departments said the new rules for minors will infringe upon the rights of parents. Morristown police leaders have also voiced their opposition.