The I.U.P.A. looks out for the best interests of Law Enforcement Professionals across this great nation and its territories, not only during their careers, but their retirement concerns as well. That means that we remain apprised of current and upcoming legislation that affects both active and retired law enforcement. Through this diligence, we have maintained vigilance toward changing the Windfall Elimination Provision.

As I prepare to step away from my career as a law enforcement officer after 21 years, I felt an overwhelming need to share my experience with as many others as possible. For me, there have been four steps I have taken during my police career that has allowed me to leave physically and mentally fit so that I can enjoy the next phase of my life. In my previous articles, I wrote [...]

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 [...]