A Message for Retirees
A good read and pretty accurate:
I’m in my 28th year on the job, 17 of those as a sergeant. I’m staring down retirement, and I’m not expecting a parade. I’ll likely get the popular cake and coffee send-off, and then it’s done. And that’s OK. Cake and coffee are how it should be, because not every department or municipality can give extravagant goodbyes due to ever-tightening budgets. What I am expecting, because I’ve seen it over and over again, is to be forgotten. Quickly.
I’ve watched it happen to good people, respected people, officers who gave everything, who bled for their agency, who mentored generations of cops. Not one of them got the long memory they expected. Six months out, their names rarely come up. A year later, it’s like they were never there. That’s the truth no one tells you when you’re gearing up to walk away. The silence is real, and no one is immune to it.
There’s a common saying that gets passed around: “Forty-five minutes out the door and you don’t matter anymore.” I don’t know who created that quote, but whoever it was really nailed it.
A short while into what we hope is a long and enjoyable retirement, this strikes a chord, especially after the last promotional class where we only knew a couple names. The job moves on without you. And at some point, we'll walk away from the blog, too.
Never make the mistake thinking the job loves you - it doesn't. It pays the bills, maybe it makes you smile or laugh, hopefully gifting you some good friends along the way, but it never has and never will like or appreciate you in a deserving manner.
Labels: we got nothing
posted by SCC at 12:03 AM
197 Comments:
Well honestly, who cares? It’s a job, not a life. I love this job, I’m not a mutt and fell like I’m good at it.. but if I’m “forgotten” then so be it. I’m retiring because I want to leave the department. I don’t need my picture in the building. I more than likely won’t go to any functions after I’m retired unless it’s a close friends retirement party. No I’m not going to go to reunions or hang out at the station to visit when I leave.. I see too much of that. My advice is to remember it’s a job and that’s it. If you have friends or family that’s the priority, not this job or the people left working it. You’re right, you will get forgotten almost immediately. Do you need to be “remembered”?? Who cares. Retire and start collecting a pension and get busy living life NOT as a cop because life is so much better.. it’s like chains being broken free. Nah, I don’t need to be remembered and I won’t feel bad about it one bit. This job is not life…
I’ve been retired long enough that when I read the monthly FOP newsletter, I know more people on the deceased page than on the retired page. I still have friends on and off the job.
Detective John Lunden was an old time detective.
He was born in 1907 and retired back on 1963.
He once told me this while at the Burgundy Restaurant at Irving Park and Austin:
"It doesn't matter how many medals you have or how many great arrests you make.
One day, you'll be an old retired policeman. You can walk into any police station in the city of Chicago and some kid will say to you from behind the desk; "WHAT do ya want?"
He told me that back in 1993 when his car was stolen and he walked into 025 for help. He died 3 years later.
Rest in peace John.
NOW, I'm walking in your shoes.
“I need to be remembered” aka I have nothing else going on in life and this job is my identity and I feel power from this job and I need to maintain people giving me “respect”.. 29 and 7 days(suspension time) and I’m outta here. Keep the star, keep the retirement ID card if you want, I really don’t plan on showing to anyone ever again. If anyone asks what I did as a career I’ll tell them I worked for the water department as a heavy equipment operator. Please forget me.
It’s the same with life in general.
No one is going really going to think of you when you’re gone, mostly your kids, but that’s ok.
Don’t spend so much time trying to build a legacy that doesn’t matter in the end. Enjoy today.
Put your fist into a bucket full of water. Then pull it out of the water. You see how fast that hole fills up?
THAT is how fast you will be forgotten.
Now REMEMBER.
Collect that check.
Stay OUT of trouble.
Do NOTHING.
Then collect that pension check as long as you can.
This is why people need to stop breaking their back for the “department.” Be present for your families because that’s who matters. Show up for your fellow Officer but don’t bust your balls for the idiots in HQ. Officers don’t realize that this is just a job… dangerous…fun…rewarding… but just a job. Lay of the kool aid and enjoy your life outside. The job will keep going on without you so don’t exert yourself to the brink of exhaustion.
Great post. Fortunately, I made a few life long friends on CPD. We keep in touch with a text, phone call, wake or funeral.
We're scattered to the winds mostly in red states. I personally was involved in a traumatic incident in 2022. The Commander left me a voicemail. Only 2 guys on the watch reached out to me. I was almost the senior man on days and the youngsters called me for advice everyday before their SGT. They never reached out to me. I never got my cake and coffee and all my retirement stuff had the wrong dates. I wasn't even invited to the Christmas party that honors retirees. It's a thankless job, used to be a honorable one. I caused some waves by standing up to LTs, Cpts and Dc's, but I can look at myself in the mirror without regets. I wasn't perfect but I never comprised my values. In the end it was just a job, thankful to to the LORD it paid my bills and raised a family.
Great article. I will miss this blog when it’s gone.
Retired downstate LEO. Been gone since August 2017 and you hit the nail dead on. I left a mid sized agency and within 90 days it was as if I had evaporated into the air. 8 years on and I’ll be damned if there are 10 people there that know who I am.
Here’s a recommendation that helps every retiree - go to church regularly - if Catholic, go 2-4 times a week. Say a rosary daily. Say a Chaplet daily. Listen to Relevant Radio daily (950 AM or on the app). Read about the Saints. Put your life into perspective. Life is a brief journey even if you live to be 90. The years go by in a blink of an eye. Connect with the Creator and realize that HE should be your focal point once you finally have time after retirement. Thank God for the good times on the job and thank God when he calls you home. God Bless.
100% correct. Out of sight, out of mind. 30 years on the job, retired under duress thanks to the covid scam. People I worked with or saw for years on a daily basis, regular partners I shared personal experiences with...not (1) has ever reached out to me since I've retired appx. 3 years ago. If you have a fragile mental state, this feeling of being forgotten will certainly push a fragile person over the edge, one way or another. Personally, I don't have a fragile mental state and it didn't really bother me but I did notice that I was forgotten. My advice is...don't dwell on it too much, because the people who forgot you, will also be forgotten when they retire, just as I forgot those who retired before me. That's just part of the normal cycle...out with the old, in with the new and everyone moves on.
Don’t ever leave this blog don’t ever leave us. We need you. You’re doing the Lord’s work here. I work first watch I sit and wait until about 12:20am to check out the news views and blues clues with total anticipation. If you must go at least gift it with someone you can trust with a knack for obtaining information and passion for blogging. This blog is important to a lot of us. I have 14yrs to go. I don’t even expect coffee and cake I’m just gonna not tell anyone and sort of just one day not show up. It’s like Sonny said: Nobody cares. Nobody cares.
Saint Michael, we ask that you protect our brave police officers against those with malice and ill will. They're our first responders and our protectors from violence, robbery, and wickedness. Please walk beside them and protect them as they protect us. Amen.
Now that you have more time as a retiree, pray more … you’ll be surprised how much prayer can lift your soul. Large quantities of alcohol, being a sloth, isolating oneself are all Satanic guises. Nothing but nothing will fill your soul like prayer. Take a trip each Sunday and visit any of Chicago’s magnificent churches which reflect many of our grandparents’ devotion and unwavering faith in God. Here’s a good site but and there are many more:
https://coffeewithdamian.com/blog/catholic-churches-in-chicago/
A comment on the old NYPD blog site said it best :
“When you’re on the job you’re the best.
When you retire, you’re a pest.”
Which is why I never went back to my former PD after pulling the pin.
Twenty-four and out the door!
“He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground” (Luke 22:44) - that’s how our Lord spent the twilight of His life on earth. He fasted and prayed. Great examples for a recent retiree, not to mention you’ll loose weight and feel better too.
There’s an old movie about the Broadway producer Florence Ziegfeld. One of his assistants runs up and tells him the bad news that the lead actor in the new play has just quit. Ziegfeld turns to him and says “Just hire somebody else.”
Job is trash and it hates you!
This retiree only needs to be remembered by the one responsible for my monthly pension check.
It's silly and immature to think that you should be remembered. Keep in contact with the friends you made on the job and move on. Give the cape to Goodwill along with the tac Carhartt jacket and painters jeans from 2003.
I have news for you, we all become a distant memory very fsst. The cemeteries are filled with forgotten people. The only thing you can hope for is to be remembered by a few people who you may have made a difference in their lives.
Plan a big trip for you and your spouse to avoid the boredom of the first few months post-retirement.....
It wouldn't hurt to line up a divorce attorney-- just in case your wife gets walk-away-wife syndrome. 70 percent of divorces nowadays are being filed by women, along with an increase in "gray divorces" (people over 50 years old), and you my friend, with your pension, deferred comp, your house, savings accounts, are the proverbial fattened livestock ready to be sold or traded at the fairgrounds.
I learned the hard way, you are just an employee number to the company.
Just be glad the pension is still there. 25% funded while times are good. What happens when times aren’t good?
I left in June after 34 years. I became aware of this very phenomenon a few years after I came on once it was explained to me by a retired coworker. That’s when I started noticing not only my own lack of regularly checking in on retired police friends, but also that of other coworkers.
Sure, we’d regularly reminisce about retired coworkers, laugh when we’d recall war stories and good times past, but one thing you’d almost never hear
someone say was “yeah, I just called that crazy prick yesterday to catch up”. I think most just assume they’ll get around to calling people when things slow down or when they have a spare moment, but it just doesn’t seem to happen most of the time. And the more time that passes, the harder it seems to actually pick up that phone (ironic, as most people have theirs glued to their face) and dial that number.
I also noticed the flip side to this: while on the job, I lost regular contact with non-police friends I had before I came on. Luckily for me, most understood how much the job demanded in terms of inconsistency (at least early on) and we made plans when we could. Everyone had their own jobs, families, kids and their activities and everything else that comes with being a responsible adult. I always told them “hey, life gets in the way sometimes, we’ll try to get together another time”.
Sometimes it’d take a year or more to finally coordinate an outing where the whole group could get together. What was understood though, and still rings true today is that my friends, whether before, during or after being on the job know that even if we haven’t talked regularly for years, I’d go to the ends of the earth for them at the drop of a hat. They all know that if it’s important, that simple phone call is all that’s needed and I’m on the way.
But I was completely cognizant of the fact that my departure would be no different, that my day would come eventually and that it’d be the same script. Sure, I’d gotten a handful of congratulatory calls and texts complete with the “let’s get together for a drink soon” or “stay in touch”… most which will likely never happen. Which is partly why I left without a cake and coffee. No AMC message. No retirement party. No to being a guest of honor at this years unit Christmas party. Those that truly want to keep in contact with you will, and vice-versa. And you’ll both know and understand that as much as you’d love to make it a regular thing, life rarely allows that to happen. So you touch base when you can and try not to take it personal if it seems like you’ve been forgotten. You’re still relevant, just not as relevant as you think you are.
This article is about as real as it gets.
I retired 5 years ago and the minute you walk out that door you are immediately forgotten-except by the State’s Attorney’s office. Everyone with around 3 years left needs to slow down with the arrests and not go down on useless paper because you WILL be subpoenaed for court
Thank you for this reminder today, this is why I have God that sees and knows everything, and one day I will stand before Him just like everyone else will. Luke 24:48 “ From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected.”
I am out 15 years. Felt strange the first few months.The more that time goes on you could care less. I did work, but as I look back it’s still the same old crap, fighting windmills in this political town. Only now it’s worse for those who are still on.
Retire, get a dog and enjoy life.
I was a Sergeant too. The camaraderie was fun, but I couldn't wait to retire. I could care less if I'm missed or not. I had hobbies and another life. I guess I didn't love the job as much as the writer did.
I don't want cake, coffee, or an announcement. When I started 26 years ago, veteran officers were helpful and guided you through mistakes. They also put assholes in check and wouldn't tolerate bs. On holidays, we took turns covering for each other on the beat so we could see our families for dinner. The supervisors and dispatchers knew but were okay with it. Half the watch would meet at a restaurant to eat together once a week. If you got stuck with jobs an hour before check off, other cars would come over the air and tell the dispatcher to give them some of those jobs so we could all go to check off together. Sadly, those days are long gone.
I decided to check the citywide seniority list and its surprising how many people there still are with well over thirty years still on and past 55 years old. You either are in need of money or a good hobby.
This post strikes a chord with me as well. Like many of you, I am closing in on retirement, now in the low single digits. Say what you will about teachers - not all of us hate cops. And there are even some of us do give a shit about the kids and try to do the best we can in a failing system. I wonder if you can relate?
Any job is a means to an end; It only provides a way to take care of you and your family. A mentor told me once 'Keep your head down, do your job, go home to your family.' It's served me well.
So keep up the good fight - one day you'll hear 'well done, good and faithful.'
The same goes for any job. You want some advise, consult somewhere, mentor kids, donate your time. That job is over but thinking your value to a good society is over is undervaluing your worth. Don't take up the easy chair.
SCC your last paragraph is point on. Out with the old and in with the new to be chewed up, used, abused and spit out. You love the job but it does not love you. Very similar to a divorce where one does not want to be divorced.
Sounds like most careers enjoy being retired and having a lot of time on your hands and stay active
So true to so many coppers the job is everything, when you retire you fade out that is the reality you’re not to go to guy anymore you’re not the guy that can get things done. This job is about you use people and they use you, you have so many false friends. They’re only there and when can do for them and you cannot do anymore. You mean nothing to them. I can fully relate before I retired people in management, We’re gonna place me in all of these jobs to help me out as soon as I retired my phone calls.went unanswered! Did the part-time security nonsense? It doesn’t pay anywhere near what you made and your authority is nothing you’re just a security guard jeopardizing yourself in your old age. If you get hurt being a security guard, it’s not the same as being hurt when your a Chicago copper where you’re taking care of. You have to have a hobby. Take care of your family. Remember all the good times you had you may still have a few friends from the job as far as being a somebody you are really a nobody to the people that you thought are great people now since they can’t use you as I said before you’re useless to them and they will not answer your calls. Join a good church a remnant old school type of church that helps a lot because when this all ends, you wanna go home to where you belong in heaven, you did God‘s work on this earth. God bless all the Police amen.
Thats why I started a new career. Don't look back. Don't go back. Its not the career you started on. Remember in this job they will eat thier own.
And do not expect a coffee and cake retirement party, even the holiday party failed to mention the retirees. Get active and do not expect any pat on the back. Beside my golf dates and the weekly lunches. Start a pattern of exercise or side jobs to get out of house. I go to the pool, picked up tennis and pickle ball. Travel and see what you missed in 20 to 30 years. Enjoy yourself...
I have been retired for 15 years l gave the commander my exit interview and never looked back, l did not want cake and coffee all l wanted was to walk out the door. I worked with some great people and to this day go out to breakfast with them or meet them for a couple of beer. All this was to me was a job nothing more could l care less if l will be remembered, you are entering another chapter in your life and believe me you will enjoy it. Don't worry be happy" the people that matter will still be your friends and you still can get together
Well said. All the best to you as you move forward
I'm a Sgt who is retiring next year. I have no delusions of grandeur. I know I will be forgotten very shortly after I'm gone. I have typed up and gotten countless awards approved for the officers I supervised. I've done the same for officers I barely knew after they asked for help because their supervisor didn't do anything for them. I've nurtured young officers to be better and taken the dregs and made them functional. I've helped the D unit more times than I can count and run great missions. Nobody will contact me within 6 months of retirement. I have hundreds of officers phone numbers in my cell. I would guess 90% of them will delete my number within a week of retirement. The department forgets you almost immediately. Once you aren't useful or can't help the Officers they show their true colors. Retirement is what it is. That being said you don't can't hang on too long. Those that do don't last long afterwards.
30 and five- thirty years of service, and die in five. Came from the military but it applies here too.
You've reached the level where people stand up when you enter the room, when they knock to enter your office, where you have a travel and expense account, when they ask your opinion or for leadership, you've mentored juniors and led groups. But now your precinct or post is the frontroom and the missus has no tolerance for your encroachment on her territory.
Watched it happen to my dad's peers, sometimes it was an 'unexpected' medical condition, an auto 'accident', so he retired at 29 and lived longer retired than he did on active....
Get a useful and regenerative hobby, build a good balance with the spouse and kids, make new goals outside of the uniform and know that you are replaceable so that you can change clothes and habits without being the guy who has to argue in the bars with the young ones carrying the load tomorrow.
I did 34 great years on the job until I hit 55, majority of it were fun times when we were able to be the working poleece and I have no regrets. I still get together with past partners & team members to catch up but it's time to move on. In my opinion this was the greatest job & I met some great people over the years, unfortunately the job has changed. Stay safe
This is exactly why having a life and family unrelated to the job matters. Being a police officer is unlike any other career but like all others it eventually ends. Having something else positive to look forward to is essential for those of us nearing the end. Personally I’m looking forward to the next chapter.
There's nothing to look back for. Move on and enjoy your family and friends that you didn't get to see so much because your days off were canceled most summer.Ring up the OT hours and get a nice check and enjoy life because the job beats a lot of it out of us. If you must work a part timer a few days a week. Even friends on the job become a distant memory because some move and loose touch. If you must hit a few retirement parties and eventually that end because you know no one. Enjoy life and God bless.
True words, you won’t be missed. I always thought about some sgts, lts, etc that dragged it out til the last day and a few actually mentioned about how could things on the job continue without them. The very next day, business as usual, no interruptions and a year later the VIP retiree walks in and hardly anybody recognizes them. The plywood truck to board up the windows will not be coming when you leave, the circus will continue.
This is very true.
When you retire you’re “out of sight and out of mind.”
Co-workers and partners you see every day continue their journey on the job. The day to day and call to call grind. They’re struggling and juggling the job and family, you’re easy to forget. You move on and are forgotten.
Those you think you’ll always be in touch with never text or call. And to be honest, I don’t reach out anymore either. Mentally I moved on and don’t want to be reminded of the job.
Totally correct. I’m coming up on retirement also and I’m happy to leave and not look back. There are some however that will try and hold on to some sort of power because the police was their life. Maybe by going to another agency or come back to teach like the retired idiot dep chief who runs the supv training. Remember this. Once you leave u r just a civilian so act like it. Enjoy your retirement and forget about the police or u will live a miserable rest of your 6 months after retirement life!!
You're always replaceable and easily forgotten. The department will turn on you on a dime too.
In order to survive 29 and a day you have to make this job work for you. Fuck these bosses and politicians.
One thing I realized as I've gotten older is: It's a JOB! It's not a career, it's not a calling, It's not a passion. It's a JOB! We are just meat puppets. It's just like a football team, next man up... That's all...
Totally agreed, the job will not love you back. So don’t make the same fatal mistake way too many guys have made by making the job their entire identity. Unfortunately you’re talking to people who will never be able to see the forest through the trees. They want this job to be their only identity. They wear the CPD gear while off duty. They get Chicago flag tattoos. They still put the fop medallions, thin blue line and other police paraphernalia all over their cars. It’s these kinds of people who suffer the most when they have to walk away at retirement. It’s just a job people. It actually always has been.
This is the truth in all industries, professions and jobs. Everybody is replaceable, and eventually you will be.
I suffered some extreme anxiety when I hit the button and walked out the door for the last time. I keep in touch with several guys I worked with and it helps. Remember, you will forever and always be Chicago's Finest.
Let’s not forget how retirement day is. Show up at 35th st. Turn in ur tablet, ur phone and your gas mask. Head on upstairs. Wait 40 minutes. Put ur star and shield on a pillow and take your picture. Sign ur paperwork. Now that your a civilian, get a visitors pass in the lobby, go outside and ring the bell for you retired ID. Not one higher up anywhere to be seen through out the retirement process to thank you for your service as a Chicago police officer. They all suck btw. I’ve seen some bosses get a motorcade with the motorcycles, the horses. All the bosses lined up out the back door cheering and clapping. Helicopter flying around. Ridiculous.
This job shouldn't define your persona. It's just a job. Paid the bills. Hopefully it afforded a comfortable living for your family. If you were smart, you put some money away to make retirement more enjoyable. When you're done you will probably keep in touch with five or six good friends. Thats it. All of your other relationships there were just work relationships. When I walked out of HQ with that retirement star I realized I was free. No more piss tests. No more giving up my constitutional rights to keep employment. I could live anywhere I wanted without being followed by IAD. Free at last. I moved to the nice, safe rapidly growing , police friendly state of Texas. Strangely enough, after nearly 33 years of hearing guys bitch about that city, very few of them move out. I guess they stay there just to have something to bitch about...
Good essay. And it applies to just about any job, not only police work. Kipling's poem "The Last Department" is worth checking out here, and should probably be required reading for anyone starting a career in any area.
Bingo! Except…5 minutes out the door…
Who cares?? It’s a job. Get over it and move on. I can’t wait to get out of here. I don’t care if anyone remembers me. I’ve got my family and friends and that’s all that matters.
After as long retired as I served I’m happy to report that I don’t care about CPD anymore. My caring slowed down a lot in the first year and was gone altogether in four. I don’t miss it. I just understand how anyone still works in that increasing deep shithole for morons.
The best advice ever but don't wait until you retire. Tomorrow is promised to no one. Be thankful today.
Retired in 2002 when I was 50 years old. Had 32+ years because I bought back 2 years of Cadet time for about $2,000. Started on the job at 20 in 1973. Been
gone over 23 years. Was a Sgt for 18 years. Only problem was when that SOB Rahm screwed us on the Health Insurance around 2010.
My advice to anyone, have a plan early and follow it. You might miss the circus but you’ll never miss the clowns.
Welcome to the FNU LNU family.
Are the rumors of blog's demise beginning already?
I’ve been gone a year, life is good, no side jobs, just planning my next trip. My wife still works so maybe that’s why it’s good.
100% true
lmfao
This 21st century tech is more useful then just for porn.
And while these smart assed phone with their oh so touchy screens are a bane upon normally clumsy fingers, there's always the laptop with actual keyboard and usb plug in mouse.
Keeping in touch can easily become stop crawling up my ass, I'm not dead yet.
Ya, and I will do with that the same as I do with jury trial notices, right in the garbage can where all the other shit from Cook county should go.
This is why some of us get offended over the dumbest shit, especially uniform policies, of all things. It’s not really about the pants, the boots, or the beards. It’s about identity. We’ve let this job consume us so completely that we don’t know who we are without it.
Too many cops are so wrapped up in being the job that they don’t even notice their own life slipping by. They’re not forced to miss birthdays, anniversaries, or their kid’s big moments, they choose to. They could’ve put in a slip, taken the day off, but they didn’t. Because deep down, being a cop is all they have.
Meanwhile, their kids grow up barely knowing who their dad is. “Cop Dad” only exists on furlough, and even then, he’s not really there. Years of cortisol overload and a hijacked amygdala have left him joyless, numb. The only conversations that feel real are with other broken cops, asking the same question. So how much time you got left?”
We spend decades wishing life away, chasing that retirement date like it’s salvation. But when we finally get there, we don’t let go, we can’t. We still read the blog, still comment on the blog and still argue about crappy squad cars and what bosses are cool. When someone asks why you missed every milestone that mattered, you’ll give the same excuses you always have. But the truth is, you didn’t know who you were outside that star. Eventually, it’s gonna be too late to figure it out.
Everyone on the job should know this unfortunately some don't until they get it good and hard
Agree with everything you say except the "its not a calling" I really believe back in the day it was a calling, but now thanks to democrats its a shitshow and just a job for anybody
Made Detective in 2002. A well respected Detective stated while teaching a class, “you can be a great Detective or a great father but you can’t be both.” I thought about it for a while and then moved on. Fast forward a couple of years and I was working violent crimes sitting in rooms with offenders throwing cigarettes and happy meals at them trying to get that confession before the 48hours ran out. Spent a lot of hours at work. I kept telling myself I could do it all, working cases and being a good father/husband. Then it hit me. My wife and kids started making plans and assumed I wouldn’t be around because I was working. I remembered what was said in class and thought about it again for a bit and looked around at our work environment Sure we were having fun working case making lots of OT it money ain’t everything. I also took a look at some of the older Dicks that had been doing this for many years. Lotta good guys, but a lot of them didn’t have great personal lives. I decided family was more important. I eventually got on days and started coaching the kids teams and home for dinner most nights. Looking back it’s the best decision I made during my career. Left after 28 and a day with insurance and literally ever looked back. Talk to a few good friends I made over the years and if thats about it for CPD. No sour grapes just happy I made it work for me and my family. Still married and two great kids. Make the job work for you. Find a spot you where you have a supervisor or two who get it and stick with them. It goes by fast. Stay safe everyone.
Amen
The 2 happiest days were the day I got hired and the day I retired.
Excellent point.
Yes. After a week, if anyone remembers you at all, you are "Good Old Whats-his-name." Life goes on. Do you best while you are working. Earn your paycheck, with dignity and honor. Ignore the whiners and the deadbeats. Lead by example. Do what you can while you are there to make things better. And then when you are gone, it is somebody else's turn to make things work.
Based on your comment, you won't have to ask people to "please forget" you. They probably already have.
It's true. I would add that some former coworkers act or feel betrayed because you left.
One fellow coworker showed up at my house when he was raising money for some police charity...
Sell your house before you retire...it took over a year to sell mine. I hired a very lazy agent. When I signed with another agent, it was gone in a week and for the asking price.
Sell, retire and then "Make a run for the border"
And the pension goes dry when ?
And offer up the crosses and hardships that come into your life. Don't run from them, embrace them. Ask God for the grace, strength, and patience to endure them for as long as He wants you to endure them. Jesus embraced the cross out of His love for you. What are you willing to suffer for Him?
Retired a year and three months ago when I hit 55. I have 3 close friends that we’ve all retired that we’ve worked together for over 20 plus years or recently that we talk on a daily basis whether thru text or phone. We’ve been thru a lot of stuff together. That’s all I need. Plus a few good friends that are still working that keep me update date and the drama and rumors. Full pension and decent deferred comp. At the end of the day I’ll never be rich but believe me I’m happy. I’ll be comfortable for the rest of my life. Don’t stay a day over 55 if ur maxed out. Enjoy life.
“Forty-five minutes out the door and you don’t matter anymore. If it means that much to you keep working. Pretty simple. Otherwise get used to your new life.
The great line that divides humanity is not political, economic, social or ethnic...
No the great fault line is Jesus...
The cross of Jesus either is your hope in this life & the one to come, or it represents the death of a man you do not love & do not need...
There is no neutrality in the shadow of the cross... - Paul David Tripp
Satan deceives us and convinces us that we are 'oppressed' or 'discriminated' against because of our social, ethnic or sexual station in life, which divides us further apart, and farther from God...
Pray for the discernment to recognize the 'truth', and wake up to the devils manipulations, for we are in a spiritual battle...
YOU DO MATTER to God, never forget that...! !
We all did the job to the best of our abilities, but our true identity is in Christ...!
Shalom Shalom
I got 35 years and out with a pension, Social Security, hospitalization, a pretty good nut put away. Don't have a lot of bills and have my health. Fuck them. I forgot about them, before they forgot about me.
Helicopters? Really?
301 and a Wake Up.
It’s just a city job at the end of the day. People are forgotten in any job days after they retire. As 9;08 said “make the job work for you”
Great advice. We need God more than ever. May He bless current CPD and its retirees.
Tale of Two cities CPD style. Blue shirts are the ones who get the CR#s, serve suspensions, get fired, do the dirty work. The bosses ride off in the sunset with a second city or county job waiting. Do absolutely nothing for these people.
You definitely will feel better. I retired a few months ago and all the aches and pains I felt on the job are gone. The stress pains are real. Take care of yourselves as much as possible while on the job. Don't give them your whole life. Give it to your family. They'll appreciate it more and they will never forget you.
I got a cat lol
Exactly, I thought it was a self serving article
9 years for me. I never looked back. Theres life after this BS department
Long forgotten.
This job was a calling for me. Since I was 5 years old, being a Chicago police officer was all I wanted to do. I couldn’t wait to get hired as I got older. When I worked dead end jobs I was miserable almost everyday. Now, I do have a love and hate relationship with this Job. Yes there are days that I am miserable, but I think of when I was a kid this is what I wanted and that helps me get out of that state of mind.
Yeah at the end of the day it is just a job. Also, It still is a calling for some. Some newer officers have mentioned to me that they wanted to be the police since there were a kid also.
They don’t mail it. They send a deputy, hand it to you, get their version of an event number, and you will be going to court. Even if you try to avoid them, they will find you and serve you.
When I retired I truly understood how much the department felt about me; they didn't at all. The people doing the paperwork were grumpy, couldn't care less, and just going through the motions of an assembly line of people. No congratulations nothing.
Exactly, you walk out the door and you’re forgotten. Make a life outside of CPD. Play the game, let the city pay for your continuing education. Get involved in groups, hobbies. Have a plan, set in motion a few years before you’re ready to go. Ease into retirement. Travel, sell the house and rent and downsize so the final move is easier and move out of Illinois.
Remember the name of the game is how many retirement checks you receive.This is the reason you worked all the nights and weekends during your career. Plus, don’t forget all the numerous side jobs.Thank all of you for your hard work and service. Now, spend that money and help the economy.
Sorry, you are so Bitter.
Everyone needs to remember.......the job is not who you are. Too many coppers associate the job with their identity and when they retire, die within 2 years. Retire and don't look back. If you had fun in your 30+ years, that is awesome. It makes for great stories to tell down the road, but don't attach yourself to this soul sucking profession.
There’s a bit of everything in retirement if you’re realistic about it. If you’re like me, no kids, no spouse, a very small circle of family and even smaller close friends- it can feel lonely at times. But it’s also freeing to know there’s no burden on you any longer- without petty off duty disagreements from a neighbor turning into a work related CR#, no worry you’ll be ostracized from the dating pool or quizzed endlessly how to “get out of a ticket” at the BBQ. I learned long ago on the job to not expect my fellow officer to “help me out.” Those days of officer extended kindness disappeared long ago, reserved only for the clouted. I certainly don’t expect them in retirement. Most of the time I knew being an officer meant I had to be above reproach in my behavior (parking, traffic, keeping my opinions to myself). It took me a couple of years to feel more human post retirement. I ‘m feeling like I’m hitting a stride of creativity now, not the wall I was feeling for a bit. It’s up to you to turn it around. I do get a bit sad when I hear this guy or gal only made it to 10 years post retirement but there’s a vast number who go on for awhile. Recently on a walk, I met a guy. He was an unassuming guy - he had been a walking courier for 30 years, retired. He gave me his card. Turns out the guy is a pretty interesting cartoonist. He’s turned conversations and observations into an art form. No one should ever feel a job is their whole identity. You are more than any job. Let the sun shine on you, take a walk, love a dog, go to Church, volunteer to something you give a shit about, take up a hobby that doesn’t involve shopping all the time, booze or gambling away hard earned money. Cook a meal for a friend, go for a drive that takes no longer than a few hours. Write in a journal even if it’s about 3 random small things you are grateful for that day. You are more than a job.
Well said my friend, you won the game and crossed the finish line. Now enjoy your next 29 years and 7 days with no suspension.
I’ve been retired for 5 years. Sadly, when you retire you are entering the “final” chapter of life. Hopefully that chapter lasts another 25-30 years or so-but odds are it won’t. Those preparing for retirement….start thinking now about any new hobbies or interests you want to try after you walk out of 35th street for the final time
Spent over 41 years on the job. Did my thing when I was young , plenty of arrests, helped a lot of good people. Did it for myself, not the city Also when I first Sgt Kahn told me to keep your civilian friends along with your CPD friends. After I had seniority I went on days, coached , spent time with the family and enjoyed life. Also I maxed out deferred comp and ignored all the old conspiracy guy who said the city would steal it. Now that I’m retired enjoy with my police and civilian friends and enjoy life and also enjoy the deferred. Do your job but make the job work for you
You're exactly right. Back in the early 2000s, whoever was the Superintendent started a program where one exempt per day went to Personnel and his or her job was to congratulate officers who were retiring. Nice gesture. Lasted about 6 months.
Retired 9 years ago. I declined a retirement party. They didn’t have a party for me when I got there and I didn’t want one when I left.
You sound miserable. And you need the retirees card for the IROCC and if you say you don’t do the IROCC you’re a fool because someday soon we’re all going to be armed 24/7.
I remember John. Great old guy. He was always at the Burgundy Restaurant. He would show me his pie plate retirement star.
Some jag off car salesman sold him a 1980's Chevy Monte Carlo. John didn't know any better. It was most stolen car in America for a few years. I think John's car was stolen and recovered about 3 times. That's ashame if the coppers in 025 treated him like that.
RIP Detective John Lunden.
Wise words.
I retired in 2017. Some active and retired police officers still contact me from time to time.. I received all their calls for you never know who may need a listening ear. My partner died young and I miss him. We had many stories that we should’ve grown old together to share over a beer. Some partners won’t even acknowledge a text message after you retire but life goes on. To all. LEO active and retired, thank you for your service. May God bless you keep you healthy and strong.! Eat well get some form of excersise and fight on until the end! I/F
An old middle school teacher once said, " Your born, you pay taxes and you die." that being said it makes things easier to deal with. The "job" is a job. Nobody ever remember's the superstars, they only remember the screw ups. We all like to think we changed the world when we put on the star but acturally your a number part of the system. And when your time is up and you pull the pin, and turn in your star and id your done. And yes nobody will remember you. The plan is not to take it personally. Have a plan for after the job something that is a side job or security somewhere. Something different and to start a new adventure after leaving the job.
Not Illinois. Not law. Retired at 59. "You can come back for coffee." I askked, "why? These SOB's hated me. I took "their" job, "their" vacation, "their" days off, took "their" overtime.
I'm Catholic. Go to church, have faith in GOD ALMIGHTY, not a ridiculous Pope. There's a dog, as family is all deceased, and guess what: every day is like a Saturday. I LOVED my job, but the people.....
Great article SCC!
Just another chapter. Move on and make more good chapters in the book of your life. Until the final chapter!
Man this is true. We had a great bond on our watch and even our whole district. Everyone had a great time and really helped each other. Just not the same anymore and I can’t wait to be done with it.
Good on you! I’m in the same boat. Been screwed over so many times that retirement can’t come fast enough. Out at 20 and leaving this dump in the rear view.
It also needs to be pointed out that: there’s a fine line between being “forgotten” and being “bothered” especially being bothered by former co-workers with their war stories and all the scuttle butt that goes with it!
I got a replica star, hat shield, my recruit picture, and a wood baton in a glass and wood case. It was from the flower fund, not the city.
I remember when I retired was in a unit doesn’t matter which one they had a retirement party inside of the unit. They had food cake, myself and another girl retired. I was there. The other girl didn’t pay then this blonde haired bimbo told me that I had to pay if I was going to eat, even though we were both being supposedly honored for retiring That’s why I remembered they don’t give a shit about you and to this day I could care less about that blonde haired bimbo, and a lot of the others! It’s just a job like any other that is when I realized I did work with a bunch of people most decent, but some like the blonde was a total asshole
I’m with you 100 percent. Who cares what anyone else thinks about you. Been retired 10 years and only talk with four people from the job and I’m totally fine with that. It was a JOB and nothing more. I was told guys would go downtown when forced out at 63 and actually start crying. Maybe that’s why I’m insane and travel with my wife and enjoy life. But I do read the blog for entertainment
Stay safe out there
Amen, I thank God for each day, been retired for 25.6 years. Only God!
Ask your union to be extra careful watching your pension. I know the Chicago casino is supposed to help fund your pension. But what if it doesn't make any money.
Which Casino did Prickster "win" $1,4000,000 at? Was it a casino with Illinois ties?
Last year Prickster declared an Indian tribe, I think it was the Pequon tribe a separate nation.
They have a casino in Milwaukee.
As a separate nation, they could buy property in Chicago, open a casino, and not pay ANY taxes!
What if they are sold McCormick Place East for a dollar by a fatass governor. They would pay NO income, gambling, operating or real estate property taxes. They also would be exempt paying any taxes on food, liquor, cigarettes or Marijuana.
They would destroy the Bally's Casino.
Is that why Bally's won't build a permanent casino?
I was tipped off by a local newspaper publisher.
Good luck from a retired cityworker not LEO, but LEO family.
I retired in Feb of 2024, and still have no interest or motivation of going to Ivory Tower to pick up my retired Star.
All: This is the best commentary about the job and retirement. In most cases honest and straight forward from the heart. There is you, God and your family. Anything else falls in the back of the line. One last thought. In those quiet times remember somewhere in your career, whether knowing or unknowing you did a kind and/or individual act that impacted positively on someone's life. You may have momentarily forgotten it, but relish that thought as it comes to you and know you did that.
Remember: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
Man made this job this job never made the man.
This should be on a card and carried by every officer on the job:
"Never make the mistake thinking the job loves you - it doesn't. It pays the bills, maybe it makes you smile or laugh, hopefully gifting you some good friends along the way, but it never has and never will like or appreciate you in a deserving manner. "
So very well stated, sir. Thank you for saying it plainly. Turn in whatever
you have to return to the city and move on. It's a job.
Don't worry. Some Schmuck will start another one. Hopefully it will be a better one!
Never went to a Christmas party in my career in 025. Usually heard they were drunk fests.
Been praying for 65 years,,, how much longer do I gotta wait for a little reprieve?
Most only remember you when you can do something for someone lol I ran i to a retired white shirt and went to hug him. He seemed salty as ge said im retired, can't do nothing for you. I still hugged him affectionately and told him how he was my first ridealong and how i had nothing but a wonderful experience and thanked him. Hey John-
I went to a wake of a lieutenant that I worked for in the 70's a number of years ago. I was in full uniform (on company time) and I think the family appreciated that a uniformed member showing up. I was looking at some of his pictures displayed by his family and he is standing on the wing of a P-47. Son told me he was a WWII fighter pilot in Europe. I never knew that and he never talked about that. Different era.
With that, I find myself looking for a good man ;)
I thank g-d everyday for sending St. Michael down to watch over me. I used to look at my house before I drove away on my way to the station to work my shift. I realized that I might not ever make it back and my wife and kids would never see me again. I did this over 6000 times because I worked a beat car for 25 years.
It should be either 29 and a day or 55 years old to get the medical. This way we can all enjoy our retirement!!!
We all made a difference to someone. That’s our legacy - nothing more, nothing less.
Counterpoint for discussion. I’ve been retired for 6 years and have signed complaints as a victim on the CTA 9 times. I love it. No COPA can investigate me for excessive force, I’m retired and a victim. Always a centurion!
As one desk mouse at headquarters told me "When you are an ex, your an ex."
You are not wrong.
Negative….the pension system relies on men working 29+ years and then dying at an early age.
Sounds like he really didn’t like you. If he did, you would have known.
By any chance was her perfume really, really strong?
Agreed !!!
If you are Catholic, yes, attend church often.
Just keep an eye on your children.
I feel the same way. The bosses wrecked the camaraderie and sense of belonging.
Been retired 5 years now after 46. It's been an adjustment to say the least. The dogs have yet to bite me or the wife's yet to set me out. Thank each and all of you for being there should I have needed you. One day we will all be shown and finally understand why and how our actions mattered in the grand scheme of life. Blessed are the peacemakers.
It’s those same guys who hang around their high school or college. Nobody cares. Even if you get your picture hung in the hallway nobody will know who you are in two years. Turnover rate for watches is about 3 years now.
Stock market has been on an absolute bull market for 12 years. They can’t manage the fund with those returns they’ll never manage it.
I retired 14 years ago with 23 years on the CPD ~ we moved out of Illinois and never looked back! Live each day like it's your last, enjoy life and your pension while you can as we never know what tomorrow will bring....
Only time people have called me outside of my watch is to ask for something. But I can’t blame them, there’s no point to call me unless they need something.
Turnover is too high and the department incentivizes coppers to make complaints. My watch changed completely within the last two years and the two years prior to that as well. Only 10 of the 70 people I had when I first got sent here are still here after four years.
Dude, most of them are rich. Out of the 200 over 60, 150 are millionaires that do the job because it is a hobby.
Boy are we glad your going See ya Mr Miserable
I remember Christmas parties in Area five/025 being drunkfests and fistfights...usualy starting with a drunken loudmouth or two who couldnt handle his drinking. The events had less to do with Christmas and more to do with the politics of this job. I stopped going and learned a lot when they tried to make me go. Thanks but no thanks boss...
Not sure who you think you are, but you're not special. It's a job. Who do you think you are Jerry McGuire???
Would you rather your name be synonymous with Abbate, Finnegan, Flagg, Calhoun,etc? They’re remembered
Hell, they didn't even spell my name right on the cake and coffee announcement. I doubt that the front office even knew who I was. At the end of my career, I felt like I was a ghost payrollee. I have forgotten most of you and cant remember your names now. When the promotion lists come out on SCC, I dont know anyone of them. Thats probably better that way. No regrets...
I learned fairly quick into my career that "your friends" aren't really your friends" on this job. I can count 3 people who are my ride or die after 27yrs. The rest are just co-workers. Glad I'm gone and don't miss a thing.
Used to be officers retired and lived a few years. No more. Now it’s not unusual for retires to live into their 80’s, 70’s is almost a give
Well thank you for this post. We tend to group people together blindly sometimes. CPS teachers are villainized because of the people running their union. It's a shame the sane members are outnumbered by the idiots. My son is disabled and went through Chicago Public Schools and had some great teachers. Caring, and very good people. I worked with guys married to CPS teachers who stated their wives hated the union. Once again, thanks for the post.
Be thankful you have a paychecks every week that is more than a non union job with a guaranteed paycheck after you retire and you don’t have to hustle every week to be able to live
I had a very similar story to yours. 1973/2002. Screwed on insurance but always had a life outside the job. Loved the job, hated the department. Moved out of the city then out of state. For your own sake you need a life outside the job.
here here - Im working up the motivation to get mine. It is hard too since, now, every day is Saturday.
After being gone 7 years I still get calls every summer to golf when someone in a foursome bows out at the last minute. Funny how I'm rarely in the orginal foursome. 🤔
Good point. It is somewhat of an accomplishemnt to retire in good standing with all the ways to get in trouble on this job.
I love the comments that the department does not care about you when you retire. Hell, the department never cared about you when you were active. The city never cared about you. I believe that the job changed for the worse when they went to steady watches . Going around the clock with a watch felt different.
Never served I take it?..most who did didn't talk about it much, especially from that era You sound like a real personable gen x prick.
Left in 10, they gave me a blue coffee mug at personnel.
Why are you risking your life and riding the CTA?
Anybody remember John Jemilo, Terry Doherty, John Thomas?
I would buy the damn ticket to the Christmas party just to be a team player if we had a decent commander.
I would come early, make sure the boss saw me as I said hello to him.
Then, after about 20 minutes I would sneak out and enjoy my time with my family.
FUCK THAT JOB. Glad I'm done.
Your names will live forever on the case reports, arrest reports, some on photos of citizens, the news, your family etc....We never die, just fade away!
Retired in 2020. Left Illinois in 2021. The job served its purpose. I keep in touch with four guys, love my new life. Honestly miss nothing about Chicago.
You don't want to be remembered years later. Why? Because the only ones who usually ARE remembered were killed in the line of duty. And those ones damn well better not ever be forgotten.
Suggestion: Keep in contact with the close friends you made, especially those who had your back. It makes your later years better and less bitter, and may put a smile on your face. But to each his own.
There’s a common saying that gets passed around: “Forty-five minutes out the door and you don’t matter anymore.”
If you ever mattered at all.
There’s a common saying that gets passed around: “Forty-five minutes out the door and you don’t matter anymore.”
If you ever mattered at all.
I guess you will have to help the other team a few times to make sure everyone understands you don’t want to be bothered with court.
57.5% ? Did you come on the job at 32 years of age and retired at 55 years of age with the medical insurance benefit?
46 what?
10/18/2025 11:18:20 AM
You must have retired a very, very short time before the pension changed from 32 and a day to 29 and a day?
Maybe start a new group?
Good one! It took awhile to adjust but there’s still times….
Retired, 30+
Get out while you have a soul, and have a life outside this job.
Completely agree!
Bingo! Give that man a cigar.
A better one? Hardly. No one is stopping you from starting one.
Hope all the millionaire people over 55 stay until 63,they’re helping our pensions. Thank them for helping the pension fund.
I was a desk sergeant and had written a detailed procedural manual for running the desk that contained many gems of wisdom that I had acquired from decades of experience. When I retired in 2014, none of my colleagues wanted a copy. I was neither surprised nor insulted. I had learned early in my career that the Police Department didn't care about us unconnected drones. When I retired, I had my coffee and cake, cleaned out my locker, walked out the door, and never looked back. I now live in Elmhurst, where the police had no respect for retirees or brothers and sisters from other departments.
Thank you
Thanks, again🙄
I left in 2010 with 4000 hrs on books. Me and another guy rented out a bar the day we retired and about 120 friends showed up. Had a great time and never looked back.
If you do have to divorce post-retirement, don't let your betrayer use the US Census data to estimate how long you will live and then multiply that number to your monthly pension checks to place a "value" on your pension. The "Family Law" software used in most states for calculating the value of your pension is not correct on this and they admit it on their website. Go to their FAQ page where they admit that this formula doesn't apply to law enforcement professionals. Also tell your lawyer to look up an opinion (it's out there but i don't remember as i type this) where it was argued that a pension actually has very little "value" when dividing assets: you cannot borrow money from your pension, you cannot pass it on to your children when you die. Your pension is only worth as much as it pays every month that you are alive.
Also, don't be cheap on the lawyer. Find a lawyer with a background in finance and / or accounting who focuses on high value divorces. It will be worth it in the long run.
I did the same, take care of my people, work hard, work together and everyone gets a slice of the pie.Happy clowns at the circus was our motto.
you must had retired from a clouted unit n had wack
Great advice. Thank you!
It's not that hard to build up those hours. I saved 2100 hours in patrol, area detective, and patrol sergeant. That's a little over one year's salary that the city pays you back over 3 years.
Don't need clout or wack to save hours. Only patience.
As a retiree, this is one of SCC's best posts, and I've been reading here since mid-2000s. I understand it more because I'm retired, but it's good stuff for those still on too.
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