City of Naples meets to discuss payback for veterans, police officers

NAPLES

On Monday, leaders of the City of Naples met to discuss compensation for veteran officers who are no longer able to fulfill their duties following injuries. These veterans feel they have been pushed aside by the police force and want their retirement money back.

Two of these veterans say the City of Naples owes them thousands of dollars. So city council members met to see what they could do for these two and other officials in similar positions.

Board members were in that meeting for most of Monday. However, that meeting is closed to the public.

WINK News spoke to one of the retired officers fighting the City of Naples for money he said he owed. He thinks he knows why the city leaders decided to keep the meeting private. Brad Gallagher is a retired Naples policeman. “This shouldn’t even be a discussion. You know, anyone looking at this situation can tell that this is the right thing to do to get a refund in this situation. It’s almost a burglary at this point,” Gallagher said.

“I just hope to see that the city council will actually support what the city of Naples is supposed to be,” he said.

Brad Gallagher received a termination letter from the City of Naples in January. He was released because he injured his knee while pursuing a suspect. Since then, he has been fighting the city to get his money back.

“I mean, one of the city’s mottos is ‘ethics first,’ and I don’t know how you can be ethical first if they’re not willing to do the right thing,” Gallagher said.

Before working as a police officer, Gallagher was a veteran. So through the Military Acquisition Program, he put $27,000 into the city’s retirement fund. Napel City Law does not allow leaders to return retirement funds to a veteran who was completely injured in the line of duty.

So Gallagher went to a meeting of the Naples City Council, and the City Police Retirement Board proposed to change that law. “I have some hope that something is finally done,” Gallagher said.

Ahead of the meeting, Naples City Councilor Ted Blankenship said he thought the change was something the council should consider. “I think others will agree with me that this is something we should look at,” says Blankenship.

“They say we are frontrunners on this route and I really hope that this gets resolved for all future first responders and veterans because no one has to go through this. this. Nobody,” Gallagher said.

A spokeswoman for the City of Naples told WINK News she could not disclose what happened during the meeting.

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