NYPDs $3.6B pension program ripe for disability fraudsters such as jet-skiing cop: scathing probe

The NYPD’s pension program is ripe for disability fraudsters such as an infamous jet-skiing cop — while doling out whopping annual payments of up to $350,000, according to a damning city review.The scathing Department of Investigation probe claimed the medical review to obtain a health-related city government parking permit is even more rigorous than the police pension system in determining whether someone is disabled.The study focused on the awarding of three-quarter Police Department disability pensions, which exceed the typical 50% of final average salary pensions for non-disabled retirees.“DOI received allegations in 2025 that multiple officers of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) received accident disability benefits yet were engaged in activities inconsistent with their entitlement to those benefits,” the DOI said in its findings.The report noted that some high-ranking NYPD officials under former Mayor Eric Adams received exceptionally large disability pensions even though they held managerial roles.The flagged hefty pension recipients include former Chief of Department John Chell, who was awarded a $295,000 yearly disability pension after hurting his foot during an NYPD operation involving migrants on Randall’s Island in 2024.“As this report makes clear, the current manner in which accident disability pension benefits are administered creates risks for improper payments,” DOI Commissioner Nadia Shihata said in the report.“No New Yorker wants to stand in the way of NYPD officers rightfully receiving accident benefits when they suffer injuries on the job and are unable to work,’’ she said.“But the [Police Pension Fund]’s current administration of these benefits is vulnerable to misuse and does not employ standards consistent with those used in similar law enforcement retirement systems, such as the system for state police.”There have been scandals over the years involving police and firefighter disability pensions.One of...