Part-Time Cops?

Having retired police officers back on the street is a great idea however, most jurisdictions have a hiring freeze right now...even for part-time police officers. WCSD currently has openings posted for a full-time lateral deputy and part-time court deputies. We think that hiring a part-timer for patrol divisions would enhance the functionality of the agencies and vastly reduce overtime expenditures due to low staffing issues. It also depends on how long the officer has been retired because they loose their ability to re obtain their Maryland Police Training Certification after a period of time. The officer would also have to re qualify with an agency issued weapon, essentially making him a "full time" police officer again, even though he would be providing services on a part-time basis.

See e-mail below...

"An idea whose time, I think, has come. There are countless tens if not hundreds of thousands of retired police officers in this country. Probably hundreds living in Wicomico County alone. Many of the retired officers have permits issued by the state to carry concealed handguns. I am one such retired officer. When you talk about retired officers, you're not talking about ancient humans. Because of the vast improvements in police pensions, especially in major urban centers, police officers can and do retire as early as 41 years old after 20 years of service. I personally retired at 44. These individuals bring a wealth of experience to the table. However, many retired officers aren't interested in working in law enforcement full-time. Many are, however, interested in working in law enforcement on a contractual basis. The jurisdictions win because they get the services of a trained police veteran and they don't have to offer benefits such as health insurance and pension benefits, and the retired officer wins because he's doing something he's been trained and has done his entire adult life, and he has the opportunity to use all that expertise and experience to make some extra money. In the meantime, the bad guys really have to be concerned that someone like me isn't pumping gas or buying a soda when they think it would be a great time to pull a robbery"