Retirement is a big change for any professional. But in public safety, it seems to hit even harder. Perhaps that’s because so many firefighters, police officers and corrections officers retire young, with many good working years ahead of them. The transition is also complicated by the fact that public safety work creates tightly knit communities of personnel held together by their sworn oath to protect the community and one another. Simply [...]

Thirty years ago this month (June), I lost one of my best buds. Most of our readers know that I spent a good portion of my days working undercover, initially as a “white” shield patrolman and finally as a “gold” shield detective. One of the guys I worked with was a top notch narc. Ron lived every aspect of the job during our time in deep cover. Deep cover is [...]

After working through the challenging transition from a law enforcement career into retirement, life after being a cop affords us many joys and opportunities. After the typical service retirement the officer is still in his or her 50s, allowing for a second career if that’s what’s desired. For some, one of the joys of retirement is finally being able to express their entrepreneurial spirit, long pent up within the confines of [...]

Usually at the 12- or 13-year mark of an officer’s 20-year career the countdown begins. The thrill of the job has faded. The officer has been burned on more than one occasion (suspension, losing a promotion, internal politicking, etc.). This is typically where the work slowdown begins. No longer enamored with chasing crooks down the block, jumping over fences, and so on, the mid-career law enforcement officer is now much [...]

A new state law in New Jersey will let almost all retired law enforcement under age 65 become armed school police officers, including former correctional officers who spent their careers guarding prisons.Signed Monday by Gov. Phil Murphy, the law lets retired NJ Transit officers, Port Authority Police, Fish and Wildlife officers, and others become part-time school police officers under the direction of the local police chiefs. It comes amid a [...]

Public pensions across America are largely underfunded. A 2016 study by The Pew Charitable Trusts found that cumulatively, state pension funds across the U.S. faced a $1.4 trillion deficit. That was a $295 billion increase from 2015, and the 15th annual increase in pension debt since 2000. This problem is growing, and it puts the retirement incomes of public servants at risk.