Police retirement plan updated

By Garret Roberts

-Coraopolis-

Coraopolis Council members discussed aggressive driver issues and made changes to police department pensions at its May 12 meeting. Council approved finalizing the addition of a Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) option to the pension program for its police officers. They also discussed implementing a program to combat aggressive drivers in the borough.

“[The addition of the DROP option] was part of the contract that was settled last year,” said Police Chief Ronald Denbow. “We just had to get it finalized.”

The program allows officers who are eligible to retire to continue working on the force, allowing them to stay on the job and earn additional funds for retirement. Rather than adding this time to the existing benefits package, the officers who opt into the program will have lump sums of money put into an account annually.

This sum gains interest as long as officers report to work, allowing them to cash out on the program when they retire and receive the amount that they earned during that time.

“It took a bit of time, but it’s actually retroactive back to June,” said Denbow.

Officers in Coraopolis will be able to utilize the program for up to four years after their scheduled retirement.

Aggressive drivers

Council President David Pendel detailed the mayor’s recent discussions with Chief Denbow addressing aggressive drivers in the area.

The program, which would potentially be named “Cory Crackdown on Aggressive Driving,” aims to address speeding during the summer months. The program focuses on specific problem areas, such as the “shortcut routes” between Moon Township and Coraopolis.

Police would have more surveillance on these areas during rush hours, hoping to stop those using the roads from exceeding the speed limit. Additionally, the borough will conduct a social media campaign and post signs against aggressive driving in Coraopolis.