Out at 55 a Reality

According to the FOP site and numerous media outlets:

• The city of Chicago and the Fraternal Order of Police have agreed on a change that will allow officers to retire five years earlier with full medical benefits--providing millions of dollars in savings to the city during the current budget crisis, officials said.
  
  Beginning in November, officers can retire at age 55, compared to the current 60, and still get premium-free health care benefits until they qualify for Medicare. Families are also included.The change is expected to result in a several hundred officers leaving over the next couple of years, in addition to those already planning to retire. It also comes at a time when hiring has slowed during the city's general budget woes.
  
  The department is also expecting federal grant money to allow for hiring in the coming months.

That last line intrigues us. There are something like 46 recruits in the Academy. There were supposed to be 200 this year. Even if the federal money appeared out of thin air tomorrow with no strings attached, there's no one in the pipeline. The last entrance test was given 3 years ago. We haven't even heard of a test being planned. The last POWER test was given over 6 months ago, so the results probably aren't any good any more.

Now with "55 for coverage" being a reality, we can realistically expect 250 to 300 additional retirements around the end of the year. A bunch of the old timers are going to bid their furloughs and leave. A good win for the FOP, but if you think we were shorthanded already, buckle in for 2010. That's not being pessimistic - that's dealing with the reality of the hiring process. We are actually hoping for this to be the trigger for re-districting