Page 17 - Demo

e
v
Don’t believe everything you read
“How did this happen?”
This is a headline from the front page of a local newspaper in reference to the gun vi- olence in Chicago during the year 2016. The pundits of today, who believe that they know
to MLAS on time. Please take time follow the directions on the facsimile message, fill out the appropriate boxes, get the signature of a boss, lieutenant or higher up and make sure your signature is on the PAR as well. If you have
questions about filling out the PAR form, please do not hesitate to call the Lodge for guidance.
A friendly reminder to 2017 retirees
The retirement process for sworn members of the Chicago Police Department is as follows:
A member must complete an electronic PAR to resign for pension purposes. On the PAR form you must indicate the effective date of your retirement. The effective date of retirement is the close of business on the last day for which you receive pay from the Depart- ment. The PAR form requires a signature from your unit commanding officer. If you are ages 55 to 59, you must check the box indicating that you are taking the staggered payout of comp time. If you are ages 50 to 54 or ages 60 to 63, check the box next to lump sum payout for comp time. You must have an exit interview with your unit su- pervisor three to four weeks before your effective date of retirement for the process to be complete. Members ages 55 to 59 who will retire in 2018 with the 2-percent annuity still need to submit electronic PAR forms by Oct. 1, 2017 to qualify. Members who are ages 50 to 54 or ages 60 to 63
can submit their PAR forms the year they retire.
Every member who will retire must make an appoint- ment with the pension board approximately four weeks before the retirement date. This process takes about an hour and the office is located at 221 N. LaSalle, Suite 1626. You can call 312-744-3891 or PAX 0357. Bring an approved copy of your Clear form and a signed End of Employment form. Also needed is your spouse’s certified birth certifi- cate and social security number, your certified marriage license, and if applicable, certified documents terminat-
ing previous marriages for both you and your spouse.
To continue medical coverage for children under the age of 25, you must provide their names, birth certificates and social security numbers. To qualify for continued medical coverage, children ages 19 to 26 must be full-time students. If a member retires at ages 50 to 54, to quality for continued medical coverage children ages 19 to 22 must be full-time students, and if you are ages 55 to 63 your
children are covered until they are 26.
Give Nationwide a call at 312-443-1975 at least 30 days
prior to retirement to make arrangements for disburse- ment. It is recommended that members take advantage of rolling their lump sum payment for selling back their time into deferred comp so that they are taxed at a much lower rate.d
verything and have all the answers, are e
the ones who help to spew false infor- mation to promote themselves as sav- iors. Who are they trying to save? Only their best interest by pointing a finger
at a very easy target, the police.
We live in a capitalist society driven by best-look-
ing cars, nicest jewelry, coolest clothes and shoes that people believe they just have to have because of what they see on TV. Some will do anything possible to be able to get these material objects. When education is lacking, job opportunities are few and the observations made by young people in their particular neighborhoods during the course of several generations reinforce negative/ criminal activities, then this is what we get.
Once again, these so-called pundits need to come up with long-term solutions to a long-term issue, not some quick-fix by trying to change all the Department rules and regulations. Right now, there is such a lack of self-re- spect with today’s youth that they don’t have the grasp of respecting others, whether it’s parents, teachers or the police. There needs to be a reconnect through education and employment. When a person has a meaningful pur- pose and motivation to get up and go to a job that gives them pride and earn a respectable wage, then we will see real change in the violent crime rates going down and community pride going up.
Filling out a PAR form
When filling out a PAR form, whether it’s for Vacan- cy bid to another district or unit or for Opening bid as a desk officer, for example, members need to remember it is extremely important to fill out the form complete- ly and accurately. This is really important when filling out the form to Bid out. When the facsimile message is released through the Bureau of Support Services, you must – I repeat, must – have it signed and dated within 72 hours from the time the announcement is posted. That is usually by 10 a.m. the following Monday because the announcement comes out on the preceding Friday at 10 a.m. Members will have until 10 a.m. that Wednesday to get their forms to Management and Labor Affairs Unit 129. You can fax the form or put it in police mail, but I always recommend that members hand-deliver their PAR to ensure they are received on time. There are way too many times when a senior officer does not win the bid because the form is filled out incorrectly or does not get
KEITH CARTER
Field Representative
REPORT
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JANUARY 2017 17