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New Castle County committee debates raising mandatory police retirement age from 55 to 57
Summary
Council discussion centered on Ordinance 25-084 to change the mandatory retirement age for New Castle County police officers, with sponsors saying it will aid retention and commenters noting support from the FOP; no final vote was recorded in the committee meeting.
Ordinance 25-084, which would amend New Castle County Code Chapter 26 (Human Resources, Article 3, Merit System) to raise the mandatory retirement age for police officers from 55 to 57, was presented and discussed at the New Castle County Public Safety Committee meeting on June 10.
Councilman Koneko said the bill was drafted with input from county counsel, the executive office, the county police and the Fraternal Order of Police, and argued the change would help retain senior officers whose experience benefits the force. "This is good sensible legislation that helps increase retention for some of our more senior officers," Koneko said, noting other jurisdictions have higher retirement ages. Council members praised the outreach on the measure: "I think he's done his homework by reaching out to other jurisdictions," Councilwoman Hollins said. Councilman Street and others also voiced support, and Koneko said the FOP had been involved in and voted on the proposal.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about the nature of the retirement age. Councilman Smiley sought confirmation that the measure targets the mandatory retirement age; Koneko confirmed it does. No formal committee vote on Ordinance 25-084 is recorded in the meeting transcript. Committee Chair Brandon Toole opened public comment and recorded none for this item.
Why it matters: supporters said extending the mandatory retirement age is intended to preserve institutional knowledge on patrol and in supervisory positions at a time when many departments cite retention challenges. The ordinance is scheduled for consideration by the full council on June 24, according to the committee report.
Details and next steps: The ordinance text amends the county merit system provision referenced above; the committee heard that the FOP participated in discussions. The transcript does not record a committee-level vote on the ordinance during the June 10 meeting. The ordinance was described as coming to the full council for consideration on June 24.
Ending: The committee moved on to other business following the discussion; a formal vote on Ordinance 25-084 was not recorded in this meeting's transcript.
