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Posted by: brk120

BOSTON - If Barbara O'Connor were on a municipal police department she could, when she turned 50, retire and earn 60 percent of the department's salary under the state pension system.
But O'Connor is not considered a regular police officer. She is the chief of the UMass-Amherst police. Because of that designation, she would get half the pension benefits earned by municipal police officers in Hampshire County.
"This state is very unique in its classification of public safety officials," O'Connor said in a phone interview. "UMass police are mandated to perform on the same level as municipal police officers, yet they are not entitled to comparable retirement benefits."
O'Connor said as much to the Legislature's Joint Committee of Public Service last week, urging lawmakers to upgrade her staff's retirement benefits from Group 2 to Group 4. This reclassification would allow officers to retire at 55 instead of 60, like their counterparts.
UMass-Amherst police and lawmakers have battled over the issue for 30 years. Since 1987, state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, has filed the bill every legislative session on behalf of the university police. He said most years the bill receives a favorable recommendation from the committee, but never reaches the governor's desk.
The state pension system is measured by years of service and age. At a certain age, an officer's years of service are multiplied by a percentage. In Group 4, years of service are given two points starting at 50. Then the point system increases to 2.5 at 55.
University police get two points at age 55. Then the point system increases to 2.5 at 60.
"It's not fair for two groups of employees doing the same work, in the same system, who have benefits that are not comparable," Rosenberg said.
O'Connor said university officers have the same police powers, rights and responsibilities as municipal police officers.
UMass-Amherst has 63 sworn police officers. They serve a community of 35,000 residents, which includes a student population of 12,500.
University police officers attend a 22-week municipal police academy in Boston. They must also take 80 hours of in-service training annually. After the training, officers complete field training and an orientation program.
In 2006, university police responded to over 30,000 calls for service and made 840 arrests. The department has investigated a homicide, armed robberies, assaults, rioting and sexual assaults.
"These crimes mirror our municipal counterparts and are far too demanding for officers in an age group of 55 to 60 years old serving a perpetually young and transient community," O'Connor told the committee. "Our records indicate that in the last three years alone, 33 officers have been injured in the performance of their duties."
O'Connor said few university officers work long enough to reach the maximum retirement benefit. She said over the last 20 years, 71 percent of the officers who left cited better pension benefits as a deciding factor in their move to another agency. She also said only 23 percent of officers have made it to retirement.
"It doesn't encourage someone to stay to retirement," O'Connor said in an interview. "I don't stay here for the money or the pension. I stay here because I love working with this community, but it's difficult."
State Sen. Ben Downing, D-Pittsfield, chairman of the public service committee, said although the bill to change the pension rating has support and meets the new criteria for reclassification, it faces opposition because of its cost.
"The tough thing is that many of the bills all have a pricetag on them. And in a time when resources are tight, making a decision becomes even that much tougher," he said.
The cost increase to shift officers from Group 2 to Group 4 would be approximately $700,000 in this fiscal year. This amount would increase approximately 5 percent per year until 2023, according to a letter submitted to the committee from the Massachusetts Public Employment Retirement Administration Commission.
The commission's estimates are based on Jan. 1, 2007, data and an actuarial valuation report for the State Retirement Board.
Rosenberg said the issue is one of fairness.

"I am hoping under the new criteria, which the group fulfills, the House and Senate will agree this will be a fair thing to do," he said. "This bill is truly legitimate."


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Posted by: mpd61

I think it is a move that's long overdue! U/Mass Amherst is arguably steps above MANY municipal departments, both in scope and training.

I think the arguement could be made that the state colleges and others should follow suit...

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Posted by: FghtNIrsh17

State colleges and community colleges do have a bill in the house for the same retirement. House Bill 2551 is currently in place and hopefully will allow for State and community college police officers to also be in Group 4. Currently they are group 1 (which means unlike UMass being able to go out at 60, they have to wait till 65 to get the same bennie's that others get at 60). Last week reps from state/community colleges were at the same committee meeting as O'Connor. Just like UMass Amherst, there are MANY college officers that also attend a full-time 22-week academy and contrary to what UMass Amherst thinks we ALL do the same job.

No one is above the other, we all do the same job!!

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Posted by: SouthernDude

It seems to me that Massachusetts should eliminate all of these various classifications of LEOs altogether and have one standard for all LEOs across the state and classify them all the same regardless. Many other, if not most, other states already have this system -- campus, municipal, county, and state LEOs are held to the same entry-level training standards. And along with that change, anyone classified as an LEO, should fall under public safety retirement provisions.

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Posted by: mpd61

dude...
You're right, unfortunately, Massachusetts could never adopt a model like say...Texas.

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