Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-02-17
Thorough Inquiry Warranted

The District Commissioners are taking a
Justified albeit belated interest in the workings
OF the police and fire retirement system. Their
decision to hold up the planned retirement of
Police Inspector Bullock, recently acquitted of
gambling and conspiracy charges, is but one
indication OF this interest. OF wider Importance
Is the broad inquiry which the Commissioners
viii make into the whole retirement program
especially that part OF it which relates to dis
ability retirements.
u There are two bases for retirement-a
with certain service conditions, and physical
disability. Inspector Bullock has asked to be
retired on account of his age, IS, and length of
service, more than Is years. He wants to join
the ranks Of the relatively few policemen who
were retired for age rather than disability. II
his application were granted, he would be the
112tn police penSioner on the rolls whose age
brought about their departure from the force
In contrast, there 568 retired police officers
who were found physically unfit for further
service AS recent series of articles in The
Star has revealed number of these supposedly
UNIT officers have been fit enough to land Jobs
on other police departments or to do other
Semunerative work.
The Commissioners are right in Withholding
approval of Inspector Bullock's application,
pending the outcome of a special inquiry being
made by committee of the District Bar Associ-
alton. on request of the Commissioners. While
1t is true that Inspector Bullock has been acquit-
ted in District Court of criminal charges he still
has a cloud hanging over him as a result of
testimony concerning his alleged friendly rela-
tons with known gambling racketeers. Admin
tstratiye action to clear away this cloud is in
the public interest and in the interest of the
officer himself, If he has nothing to hide He
should welcome an opportunity to clear his name
before leaving the department
At the same time administrative action is
needed to clear up some of the questions which
have arisen in the public mind about the retire
ment system generally. The Star series tended
to support the belief in some quarters that
physical disability retirements have been handed
out too literally. There have been indications
that the Police Department has sought to use
this type of retirement as a convenient means
of getting rid Of unwanted officers The Board
Of Police and Fire Surgeons-or any board of
physicians-can usually find 10 per cent or
more disability in any Of the older officers And
10 per cent disability is enough to justify an
unfit" finding. The board, being a part of
the Police Department, is bound to be CO.
operative. Cooperation does not necessarily
imply any faint of collision in departmental
plan to rid itself of an undesirable officer.
Whether transfer of the board to the Health
Department, as has been proposed, would make
it any harder to retire for disability is de-
batable question. 1t seems obvious, from The
Stars inquiry that disability retirements have
been too easily obtained in the past and that
at times the disabilities have been discovered
only when it was convenient for the department
to do So The situation ought to be carefully
studied by the Commissioners, lest public con-
hdence in the retirement program be destroyed.