Cop shot and forgotten

Cops don’t speak about it – until it happens to them.

Former St. Louis Metropolitan police officer Ron Ross didn’t.

He would see police officers injured in the line of duty and unable to go back to work. After spending a year off duty, the department’s doctor may deem them unable to continue working. The officers then have to file for retirement and start using their sick time and vacation time until the Police Retirement System of St. Louis makes its decision.

Then Ross was shot – twice – in his left hand. His sick time came and went. Ross spent a year and a half waiting for the retirement board to approve his disability pension. About seven months of that was unpaid.

“It’s been happening for a long time, but people wouldn’t speak about it,” Ross said. “I don’t think officers are willing to talk for fear of retaliation, or to lose what they have.”

Police Chief Dan Isom said the current policy has been in place for the last 20 years.

“It’s pretty complicated,” Isom said. “It seems insensitive, but it is very difficult to come up with a balance of how long you provide full pay until the pension system decides.”

In Ross’ seven months without pay, he lost his car. He relied on his brother to support him. He almost lost his house.

“Somebody had to do something,” he said.

‘Racing to their Aid!’

Ross said Officer Sheresa Absher did something by organizing a fundraiser to help officers who are beyond their limited-duty terms. The event, “Racing to their Aid!” will be held on Friday, Sept. 17, 7 p.m. to midnight, at the Saint Louis Police Officers Association Hall, 3710 Hampton Ave.

“I hope the fundraiser catches on because there is a need for aiding officers,” Ross said. “We see things every day that take a toll emotionally and physically.”

According to the department, Absher is out of town. She did not return the American’s calls to her cell phone. Steve Olish, executive director of the retirement system, did not return the American’s email or phone call.

Ross said that he knows of six officers who could have benefited from the fundraiser, and all of them are African-American. Yet Isom said that currently there are only two other officers, besides Ross, in this type of situation and they are white.

A week ago, Ross finally received a letter from the retirement board stating that he will begin receiving his pension at the beginning of November. Yet he never received an explanation why it took a year and a half to decide.

“We have learned that some of our members have gone without pay while they await the start of their disability pension,” said Ed Clark, recording secretary for the Saint Louis Police Officers Association.

“Police officers are no different than the citizens they protect, as they too struggle to make ends meet in these difficult economic times, where they may be only a few paychecks away from financial ruin.”

Isom said the department is discussing different policies that could help alleviate any hardship for officers. Yet he said, “I believe the issue is with the pension system and not with the police department.”

A difficult balance

When an officer is injured in the line of duty, the police department provides full pay and benefits for 365 days. After a year of limited duty, the department requires a medical decision to determine whether that officer will ever able to return to work. Once an officer reaches maximum medical improvement, the department drops the officer from the payroll and the officer begins using his or her accrued time for vacation, illness, holiday, etc., department officials said.

At this point, officers are waiting on the decision of the Police Retirement System, which is a separate organization from the police department.

For an officer who becomes paralyzed, the application is processed fairly quickly, Isom said. In other cases, the disability is not that clear. If the pension system decides not to approve the application, Isom said the department has no choice but to drop the officer from the rolls.

In order to address the issue, Isom said the department is now allowing other officers to donate their sick time to these officers who are awaiting their pension decision.

“For officers who are injured on the job, they get 75 percent of their salary for the rest of their lives,” Isom said. “This is one of the reasons why they really review these cases carefully.”

“Racing to their Aid!” will be held on Friday, Sept. 17, 7 p.m. to midnight, at the Saint Louis Police Officers Association Hall, 3710 Hampton Ave. Tickets are $20. For more information or to donate, call 314-479-7718.