The NYPD’s pension program is ripe for incapacity fraudsters comparable to an notorious jet-skiing cop — whereas doling out whopping annual funds of as much as $350,000, in response to a damning metropolis evaluate.
The scathing Division of Investigation probe claimed the medical evaluate to acquire a health-related metropolis authorities parking allow is much more rigorous than the police pension system in figuring out whether or not somebody is disabled.
The research targeted on the awarding of three-quarter Police Division incapacity pensions, which exceed the everyday 50% of ultimate common wage pensions for non-disabled retirees.
“DOI acquired allegations in 2025 that a number of officers of the New York Metropolis Police Division (“NYPD”) acquired accident incapacity advantages but have been engaged in actions inconsistent with their entitlement to these advantages,” the DOI mentioned in its findings.
The report famous that some high-ranking NYPD officers underneath former Mayor Eric Adams acquired exceptionally giant incapacity pensions regardless that they held managerial roles.
The flagged hefty pension recipients embrace former Chief of Division John Chell, who was awarded a $295,000 yearly incapacity pension after hurting his foot throughout an NYPD operation involving migrants on Randall’s Island in 2024.
“As this report makes clear, the present method during which accident incapacity pension advantages are administered creates dangers for improper funds,” DOI Commissioner Nadia Shihata mentioned within the report.
“No New Yorker desires to face in the best way of NYPD officers rightfully receiving accident advantages after they undergo accidents on the job and are unable to work,’’ she mentioned.
“However the [Police Pension Fund]’s present administration of those advantages is weak to misuse and doesn’t make use of requirements in keeping with these utilized in related legislation enforcement retirement techniques, such because the system for state police.”
There have been scandals through the years involving police and firefighter incapacity pensions.
Certainly one of them famously concerned retired NYPD Officer Glenn Lieberman, who posted a photograph of himself on a Jet Ski — and flipping the chicken on the digital camera — in 2014 whereas he was gathering a fats incapacity cost.
He ended up pleading responsible to grand larceny within the case.
The Publish additionally has reported on first responders who retired on incapacity pensions who have been later discovered competing in triathlons and combined martial arts competitions.
The PPF makes retirement funds to greater than 50,000 retired NYPD officers yearly, with whole pension funds reaching $3.59 billion in fiscal 12 months 2025.
A few quarter of these funds, $935 million in fiscal 12 months 2025, have been made to officers who have been receiving “accident incapacity” retirement — a program for officers who retired on account of a line-of-duty harm that rendered them disabled.
Greater than $100 million of these funds went to officers who utilized for and have been awarded a incapacity pension however wouldn’t have been eligible for traditional retirement as a result of they’d not met the minimal age.
The Empire Middle for Public Coverage reported that the common pension for all newly retired law enforcement officials now exceeds $100,000.
The report mentioned the medical guidelines are unfastened relating to awarding incapacity pensions.
A 3-member medical board — consisting of docs appointed by the PPF’s Board of Trustees, the town well being commissioner and the commissioner of citywide administrative companies — evaluates and determines who’s disabled.
However DOI discovered that the PPF’s medical board assesses incapacity functions with out regard to an officer’s precise job duties.
All officers are assessed on the identical requirements. with “even senior officers who’ve held desk jobs for years” reviewed to find out whether or not they can apprehend harmful suspects.
“The Medical Board’s assessments stand in stark distinction to these carried out within the system for state law enforcement officials, who’re assessed for accident incapacity primarily based on their precise job duties, regardless of each techniques working underneath just about similar authorized frameworks,” the report mentioned.
The report additionally mentioned the pension board and its medical consultants nearly by no means use their authority to re-examine incapacity retirees to find out whether or not they stay disabled.
It’s one-and-done.
The report additionally mentioned there’s a notion that prime rating officers can receive a incapacity pension extra easliy than lower-ranked cops.
“The PPF has acquired backlash as a result of a reported notion that senior leaders, like John Chell and former Deputy Commissioner for Neighborhood Affairs Mark Stewart, can receive accident incapacity advantages extra simply than the rank-and-file.40,” the report mentioned.
“John Chell retired because the top-ranking uniformed member of the NYPD. Like Chell, Stewart’s obligations on the NYPD as a Deputy Commissioner diverse dramatically from the important features of a police officer. NYPD paperwork describing Stewart’s position present that his place was largely managerial, overseeing a number of NYPD initiatives and representing the Police.”
Former NYPD Chief of Coaching Juanita Holmes acquired a $350,000-a-year annual incapacity pension after practically 4 a long time of NYPD service, although DOI questioned the payout. It was not instantly clear why she landed incapacity.
DOI issued 5 suggestions: that the PPF ought to undertake new guidelines to judge incapacity pension functions primarily based on an officer’s precise job duties; approve clear guidelines for medical re-examinations and require that retirees periodically show their incapacity nonetheless exists; settle for data from the general public about potential incapacity scams, and vote on whether or not 4 officers highlighted within the report ought to endure a medical re-examination.
The PPF informed DOI it accepted the ultimate two suggestions — accepting public data and re-examining the officers in query —however rejected the primary three.
The NYPD referred inquiries to the PPF, which had no remark. The police commissioner has a consultant on the board.
The workplace of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who additionally has a rep on the PPF board, declined remark.
The town Police Benovolent Affiliation union, which has 4 reps on the 12-member PPF board, declined remark.
