New bill promotes equity and stability for university police

The University Police Department (UPD) at SUNY New Paltz is celebrating the passage of the SUNY Police Pension Equity Bill, which grants university police officers across the state the right to retire with a full pension after 25 years on the job.

The bill, signed into law in December by Governor Andrew Cuomo, allows New York State University Police Department officers, formerly covered by the state’s Employees’ Retirement System, to transfer to the Police and Fire Retirement System, which covers all other state law enforcement agencies.

The effect of this change is that UPD officers who had previously only been eligible to collect their pension after serving for 30 years and reaching age 55 or 63, depending on date of hire, will now be eligible to retire at any age after completing 25 years of service.

The UPD anticipates that the new bill will be a major aid to its ability to recruit and retain qualified officers, alleviating a problem sometimes called the “train and transfer cycle,” in which university police departments cover the police academy costs of training new hires, only to watch them seek transfer to state and local agencies in pursuit of better retirement programs.

“Some people may have seen us like a stepping stone,” said UPD Deputy Chief Mary Ritayik. “We were sending our officers to the same academies and they were receiving the same certification as they would have with a non-university agency, but we were unable to offer an equivalent retirement plan. Under the old system a 21-year-old new hire would have needed to work 42 years before retirement if they chose to stay here, compared to 20 or 25 years at another agency.”

Retention of top officers is vital to the UPD, as college and university campuses pose a unique set of law enforcement and public safety challenges that call for specialized training and experience.

“It’s best for our department and for the community when we can bring in new officers and give them the kind of training and knowledge they need to investigate situations common to college campuses,” said UPD Investigator Bruce Chambers. “I think this change will help to stabilize and professionalize the department, and ensure that SUNY gets a good return on its investment, as newly trained officers have a much better incentive to stay with the University Police Department.”

The passage of the new retirement policy also delivers a symbolic victory for New York State University Police, who for years have argued that they perform equally demanding and vital work as other state officers do, and that they are equally deserving of a fair pension in return for their years of dedicated service.

“University Police was the only police agency in the state of New York that was not included in the Police and Fire Retirement System,” Chambers said. “So our support for this bill is also a matter of parity.”

More information about the University Police Department is available online.

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