LA Spent $1.6B In 'Extra Pension' For Officers, Firefighters

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The pension system appears to be lucrative for Los Angeles police officers and firefighters. The Los Angeles Times reported the city spent $1.6 billion "in extra pension payments" to the city's public servants since 2002.

In an investigative report, the Times details how individual police officers or firefighters made millions in tapping into their pension system, while also receiving a salary.

A married couple who both work for the Los Angeles Police Department both earned nearly $2 million in four years. They both took a paid leave, the newspaper reported.

"They both filed claims for carpal tunnel syndrome and other cumulative ailments about halfway through the program. She spent nearly two years on disability and sick leave; he missed more than two years," the Times reported. "The couple spent at least some of their paid time off recovering at their condo in Cabo San Lucas and starting a family theater production company with their daughter."

Another city employee, a police captain, was paid $1.5 million but took three years off for a knee injury, the Times said.

The pension program known as Deferred Retirement Option Plan or DROP was implemented in the city with a plan to keep experienced workers. But the investigation by the Los Angeles Times may show it's ineffective.

"Allowing employees to take long stretches of paid time off while in DROP runs counter to Los Angeles city leaders’ stated rationale for the program, which was to keep experienced and savvy veterans in firehouses and police precincts serving the public and mentoring new recruits," the newspaper reported.

The Los Angeles Police Department has about 9,000 officers and 3,000 civilian employees, while the Los Angeles Fire Department has about 3,200 firefighters and 350 employees, according to the city.

Read the full story here.

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