ALBANY, N.Y. — City officials are proposing the creation of 10 special patrol officer positions staffed by retired police officers to help address a long-standing staffing shortage within the Albany Police Department, the Times Union reported.
The Common Council is being asked to approve a transfer of funds to support the positions, which would pay between $62,350 and $89,230 annually. By comparison, first-year officers in the department earn slightly over $65,000 before overtime.
Department spokesperson Megan Craft said retired officers hired for the roles would be required to obtain a state waiver to collect a pension while receiving a salary. Those waivers are typically valid for one to two years but can be renewed.
The new roles would focus on duties such as front desk operations, community outreach and youth engagement, Craft said.
The department currently has around 70 vacant positions. At times, that number has reached as high as 90, leading to mandatory overtime and frequent back-to-back shifts, which union leaders say has contributed to burnout and increased turnover among younger officers.
“This is one of a number of initiatives the Albany Police Department is undertaking to address the nationwide challenge of police recruitment and retention,” said Alyson Baker, deputy chief of staff to Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “This will free up sworn APD officers to be deployed more effectively throughout the city.”
The positions would fall under the classification of peace officers, not full police officers.
Mike Delano, president of the patrol officers’ union, said while negotiations with the city are ongoing, the union may challenge the move if it results in outsourcing work traditionally performed by current officers.
Mayor Sheehan said the city has been considering the use of retired officers as a temporary measure to stabilize staffing levels.
“Hopefully, as recruiting picks up and if we’re able to solve this problem with sworn officers, then that’s what we’ll do,” she said.
Would bringing back retired officers help your police department?
Explain why your department should or should not rehire retired officers for a front desk operations, community outreach or youth engagement assignment.
