Even after being convicted of breaking the very laws they swore to uphold, some former officers receive millions in pension benefits

First, yes I am at present receiving a pension and have been receiving such since August of 2013, and I receive 55% of my base pay at the time of my arrest. Due to my ignorance of that aspect of the law I believed upon my arrest I had lost my right to a retirement. The idea that I had lost my retirement was particularly depressing to me because I was the sole provider of income to my children. I wasn’t until an employee of my department who had been designated to deliver my termination letter to the jail told me I was still entitled to my retirement. It was a couple of weeks there after that the mother of my children (we were never married) showed up to the jail with the paperwork for me to fill out to get my retirement. I was arrested June 7 2013, terminated around the 10th about two weeks after that filled out the paperwork for retirement and received the first payment at the end of August.

I believe that I did wrong so to me it wouldn’t have been unjust to have been stripped of my pension, but God knows I am greatful [sic] that I do receive it because of the support I could still provide to my kids. My retirement now goes to my parents who have my kids because of there [sic] Mom losing parental custody. This money helps my parents raise my children with little to no expense out of their pocket which is a huge blessing to them and me. I also receive some of it monthly which my parents place in my inmate account so I can purchase items from the canteen that are not provided by DOC.

I guess I would and others would say I am a little biased about whether you should after an arrest receive a pension or not. On the one hand should a person still get their retirement after an arrest probably not, but on the other hand I know how hard it would be if I didn’t, and how hard it would be on my family if they didn’t receive that money monthly. It gives me a sounder mind knowing even though I am in prison I can still provide for my kids and eventually when I get out I do have an income to help me start life all over again. I have seen too many inmates have no support and no money struggling in prison and then having tons of anxiety knowing they have nothing on the outside to go to. I am truly greatful to have what I have.

In reference to my conviction all’s I can say is that it was just. I had allowed my personal life to get out of hand due to bad marriage, stresses on the job, a form of PTSD that probably a lot of officers who have been through critical incidents have. None of this justifies what I did at all, I allowed all these problems even though there was help out there to overwhelm me. I didn’t get the help because whether most former officers will be truthful or not they didn’t want to appear weak to their peers. I hope I didn’t get to far off track with any of this and that I answered most of you questions the best I could.

Sincerely Alan