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City considering pushing back police officers' retirement age

Target 11 has uncovered a proposal that would raise the retirement age for officers with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.

The administration is behind the legislation that will be introduced next week.

It calls for raising the mandatory retirement age to 70.

Pittsburgh police officers are eligible to retire when they reach the age of 50 and have at least 20 years of service; they're required to retire at 65.

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The city is planning to introduce legislation that would raise the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 70.

"We have some of our best officers who are in great shape. they're some of our best detectives within homicide,  some of our best community relations officers or our neighborhood resource officers who are being forced out and they are simply going to other departments and being great leaders," said Dan Gilman, the mayor's chief of staff.

He said the city is losing qualified officers who aren't ready to retire to other departments.

Channel 11 contacted the police officer's union and the president, Bob Swartzwelder, said, "We have no objection, the impact of increasing the age to 70 is to be determined."

It could have a big impact on younger officers.

"When you think about the next generation of officers coming up, these are the exact men and women who want to mentor them, people who have had decades on the force," Gilman said. "(They) still at this age want to be a police officer, want to serve the residents of the city of Pittsburgh, and don't want to go anywhere. Why would I kick them out the door?"

Officers are required to pass a yearly fitness test.

Swartzwelder told Channel 11 any fitness test for officers staying past 65 would have to be negotiated.

 

Cox Media Group

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