New York City Police Department officers will be able to serve longer and received enhanced pension benefits under two bills signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday.
“New York needs our police officers, and when experienced officers want to continue serving, we want them to stay on the job,” said Hochul. “I’m signing these bills to give our officers the opportunity to serve longer while ensuring their retirement benefits reflect their commitment to New York City. Their service is essential to the safety of our communities, and these bills recognize everything they do for New Yorkers.”
NYPD officers receive a pension fund under two different tiers — Tier 2 and Tier 3 — which depends on when an officer was appointed. Tier 2 officers were appointed between July 1, 1973, and June 30, 2009, while Tier 3 officers were appointed on or after July 1, 2009.
The two pieces of legislation will impact both Tier 2 and Tier 3 officers.
“To have a safe city, we must have the best and most experienced police officers who are committed to public service. When this department was facing a staffing shortage, we worked with our partners across government to open more pathways for talented people to join and stay on the job,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. ”This legislation will help improve retention and ensure our officers get what they deserve for their years of sacrifice and hard work. I thank Governor Hochul for continuing to support the NYPD.”
One bill raises the mandatory retirement age from 63 to 65 for eligible Tier 2 and Tier 3 NYPD officers. This change will allow experienced and highly trained officers who would otherwise be required to retire to continue serving.
The second piece of legislation allows Tier 2 officers who began service on or after July 1, 2000, to base their pension on either their final 12 months of pay or the average of their three highest-earning years — whichever is higher. Previously, only Tier 2 officers who began service before July 1, 2000, were provided with that option.
The bills were sponsored by Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and Assemblymember Charles Fall, who both represent Staten Island’s North Shore, as well as Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato, who represents parts of Queens.
“One of my top priorities is ensuring that our members of law enforcement, past and present, have the benefits they need and deserve, in order to ensure that we have the finest police force in the world,” said Scarcella-Spanton. ”With the signing of these bills, New York will be able to retain experienced officers for an increased amount of time, which will improve public safety and address staffing shortages while also granting officers more flexibility in their career choices, and will address compensation inequality for retired members by providing them pay parity. I am grateful that the Governor is signing these bills, for the benefit of our law enforcement community and the entire City of New York.”
Fall stated: “Our experienced NYPD officers bring decades of knowledge, leadership and mentorship to the job, and we should give them the opportunity to keep serving. This legislation gives dedicated NYPD members who are ready and able the choice to continue serving until age 65. I’m proud to have helped move this commonsense measure forward and see it signed into law, giving our officers greater flexibility while keeping valuable experience on the job.”