The city of Springfield, Massachusetts has upped the age limit for retired police officers to work in part-time limited capacities.
The Springfield City Council voted unanimously to approve an order that will allow retired city cops to work as special police officers on what are known as private detail assignments up to the age of 70. The previous limit was 65.
City Councilor Lavar Click-Bruce, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, said it was the police unions who requested the change.
“We know the low ( number of) police officers we have in the city so we are looking to increase the pool so we can the (retired) officers stay on duty,” Click-Bruce said.
Special police officers can be used for assignments such as directing traffic at construction sites, providing crowd control at large events, and security at nightclubs and bars. Regular cops have the first right to refuse these jobs before the work is offered to a retiree. The private companies pay the officers at an hourly rate negotiated by the police unions, so there is no direct cost to taxpayers.
The special police officer program was created in Springfield in 2018 in response to a severe shortage of sworn officers on the force due in large part to a spike in retirements in the Springfield Police Department.
In hindsight, the age limit of 65 was too young, said City Councilor Mike Fenton, who co-sponsored the order with Click-Bruce.
“Some of the more active and recently-retired members of the force who participated in this program are on the verge of aging-out far before they are ready to fully-retire and they think 70 is an appropriate age and we agree,” Fenton said.
City Councilor Zaida Govan said the special officers program is a win-win for the retirees and the city.
“Once you retire, especially from a job like that, you get bored and you need something to do, so I think it would be great for them to come back and serve the public once again,” Govan said.
Upping the age to 70 will help the Springfield Police Department keep more of its institutional knowledge, said City Councilor Victor Davila.
“We will retain some of that expertise and knowledge of these retired officers many of them who have 40 and some of them 50 years on the job,” Davila said. “I am thrilled with that.”
There are currently “a few dozen” special police officers in Springfield, said Click-Bruce.
As special police officers they retain the rank they held at retirement, have arrest powers, and can carry firearms.
