Channel 2 Investigates

Millions spent on program that pays retired officers pensions and salaries

By Dave Huddleston, WSB-TV
By Dave Huddleston, WSB-TV

ATLANTA — A rare police program is supposed to keep the most talented officers on the force once they retire, but critics say it’s just a way for the chief to reward his friends with more money and easy assignments.

The recapture program allows the city to rehire retired Atlanta police officers at their regular salary.

Chief George Turner says it’s a way to maintain quality and help train new officers. But critics say recapture is killing morale and causing new recruits to resign.

“I think at minimum we need to audit this program, see if we have a good return on investment,” Atlanta police Sgt. Jason Segura said.

Segura spoke at a City Council hearing about the multimillion-dollar recapture program.

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Turner says the program allows officers who retired from the force to be hired back at their old salary and rank to work with new officers while collecting their pension.

“And second, it gives us an opportunity to be able to provide a sense of leadership to young officers,” Turner said.

But the program has critics.

Fellow officers and even some city lawmakers say some of the returning officers are getting easy assignments and crushing morale because young officers aren’t able to move up in the ranks because that retired officer is still on the force.

“It’s basically telling them that they’re not fit to move up and start to lead within this department,” said Ken Allen, National Police Union representative and retired Atlanta police officer.

Allen says with 23 retired officers taking up leadership roles, some young officers have left the department in order to move up elsewhere.

“And their frustration level is just high. When you have that frustration level that has a detrimental part in the way that you perform your duties,” Allen said.

He also questions the participants’ duties.

“Originally we even had one of the recapture people that ... (was) driving the chief around,” Allen said.

Through an open records request, we found as of August, 41 officers in recapture are being paid nearly $3 million.

“We just feel that if we use these same dollars, we’re using the same pool and putting it into the officers we can get a net gain of about 300 officers,” Segura said.

But Turner disagrees.

“Hiring is just not that easy, one thing.  And first of all, the program has not cost the city a dime. It has saved the city $1.5 million,” Turner said.

Many of the officers in recapture are working with special ops, homicide and protecting the airport.

But we also found some working in the chief’s office, driving the mayor around and working with young people.

“Well, I think I share some of the concerns that have been expressed by the unions,” Atlanta City Council Member Felicia Moore said.

Moore also is a critic of the program.

“What are the results we’re getting for what we’re doing?” Moore said.

For instance, Sgt. Janice Sturdivant is one of the beneficiaries of the recapture program.

The retired chaplain makes more than $80,000 per year, more than anyone else in the program, while drawing her retirement.

“The work that Sergeant Sturdivant does on behalf of our Police Department is stellar work. And if there’s an opportunity for me to keep a person like Sergeant Sturdivant around I’ll do everything I can to make sure that she continue to do the work that she’s doing, if she so chooses,” Turner said.

But Allen wonders at what cost.

“It just makes no sense to me that the program has extreme validity and value if only would be run correctly,” Allen said.

Cox Media Group

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