After Retirement: Planning For Life's Next Phases

The life expectancy of police officers, post retirement, has come into question in recent years as old estimations (as low as 57 in some older studies, or 66 more recently) run into competing research that shows cops generally live as long as general population, or even longer than other public service retirees.  The old standard, that officers die much earlier than other workers because of a career’s worth of high stress, shift work, and lifestyle, has been challenged in a political climate that is taking a critical look at public employee retirement ages, pensions, health care, and other considerations of interest to the citizens whose taxes support them throughout their career and beyond. 

It is easy to assume the old expectations to be true.  Most of us have probably had a friend or two who reached retirement, happy to be done and moving onto the next phase, only to pass away within months or years, usually unexpectedly and to everyone’s shock.  It happens frequently enough to perhaps skew the statistics on all of us and the “Why?” of it should be a concern.  Police officers do seem to have an outsized incidence of arteriosclerotic heart disease, cancers, illnesses connect to obesity and diabetes, major depressive disorders, and other serious health concerns that prematurely strike down a good number of relatively young retirees.  On the other hand, limited or selective sample sizes – a common criticism of some of the older studies and those showing significantly shorter lifespans – can misrepresent facts, and comparing a specific and small test sample (police officers) to a general and extremely large control group (absolutely everyone else) may also twist reality.

Regardless of what various studies might say, and without taking sides in the debate, how long and well you live may be largely up to you.  Industry standards and actuarial means need not dictate anything for an individual officer whose health and fitness, lifestyle choices, emotional wellness, and personal volition is in her control.  If you decide to live long and well both pre and post retirement, it is likely you can and will. 

Of course, living longer and healthier means life goes on long after you earn your “Retiree” badge, and it is best to start considering how you’ll spend the three or four decades afterward well before pulling the pin.  For most cops, retirement no longer means sleeping in and days spent on the golf course or fishing boat.  For most cops retirement begins “Career Phase II.” 

Once you’ve reached mid-career – perhaps the 12 to 15 year mark – it is time to start thinking past your time in law enforcement.  This doesn’t mean you don’t still enjoy the job or see a bright future as a cop, only that you acknowledge its realities.  At some point you are going to want - or have - to leave and retirement will likely come sooner than in most careers.  Even with a good pension and personal investments, most of us will want – or need – to continue working in some capacity, and possibly at a fairly high level of professionalism.

There are only so many top level jobs in law enforcement – chiefs, deputy chiefs, etc... – so relatively few rank-and-file officers will attain them regardless of skill, talent, or desire.  The security and private investigation fields, traditional post-law enforcement pursuits of many former officers, are becoming complex jobs requiring greater professionalization and technical savvy than ever before.  The overall jobs landscape is changing, too, as our society continues moving from a goods/manufacturing economy to a service orientation with lower wages and high competition for jobs among a younger, more educated workforce.  Walking out of law enforcement means walking into a world where competition for good jobs is keen, years after last having to compete.  The security of policing can easily breed professional complacency; seeing your time in law enforcement as a significant but temporary stop along your lifelong career arc is key to avoiding it.

For most American workers the days of settling into a job for 30 or 40 years or more are long gone.  Those jobs do still exist, notably in the public sector but also in the private sector to a lesser degree, although they are no longer the norm.  While most of the jobs an individual has after about their late 20s to early 30s may fall under the umbrella of one or two distinct career paths, changing specific jobs and companies every few years is normal.  For most people professional growth, expanding experience, and accumulating knowledge is what drives and determines their paths.  Coming out of law enforcement may require a more concerted effort to stay relevant and desirable to the market when your days of “being the police” are done and focusing on your own ongoing professional growth, experiences, and accumulation of knowledge will help ensure your career arc remains vibrant long after your time as the police is done, or at least ready to move into another phase.

Moving on along the career path can be facilitated in many ways, but we will highlight three:

Capitalizing on Law Enforcement Specialization

Many police officers who’ve developed specialized skills on the job are able to move into either the private sector or another government agency where their skills and experience are in demand.  Savvy former officers and investigators can find fascinating and lucrative second careers as private and public investigators (including sophisticated high tech security, offices of States Attorneys and Attorneys General, offices of Inspectors General, etc), as consultants or staff with corporations and not-for-profits, or teaching at the high school or college level.  Some simply sidestep into another police job, especially if they are able to collect one pension while building another (usually but not always requiring relocation to avoid rules against “double dipping”).  Others find employment in the insurance field – a favorite of highly trained in traffic crash reconstruction.  Specialized knowledge and training around domestic violence, juvenile law, mental health and crisis intervention, and any number of other areas a cop may become expert in can lead to outside opportunities. 

If you have a particular interest in a specific area of specialization or expertise you might want to explore after retirement, the time to start preparing and making connections is well before.

Focusing on Formal Education

More and more police officers are entering the field with four year degrees, and an increasing number of departments are requiring them.  This has long been true of most professional career fields so, if you have not yet completed a degree, now may be the time. 

While attending college as a nontraditional student (older than the usual 18-22 year old undergrad, working full-time, married and raising a family, returning students, etc) can be daunting, many colleges have recognized their needs and adapted to meet them.  Flexible degree programs, online options, cohort learning, and other creative ways of delivering education benefits students and institutions alike.  Even if you already possess a degree(s), consider exploring further education in the form of specialized courses, certification programs, or even masters or doctoral degrees if they enhance your skillset and will make you more competitive.  Again, colleges and universities have made these options highly accessible.

Better still, combining prior law enforcement specialization with specific education to enhance your theoretical base and give you the chance to apply experience to new settings only strengthens your hand.

“…and now for something completely different”

Or maybe it is simply time to completely change tracks altogether.

One of the greatest benefits of working at a career where relatively early retirement is the norm is that it affords you the opportunity to forge a whole new path while still young, energetic, and with many years ahead.  Whether it’s taking a previous side job to the next level, turning a hobby or interest into a new career, or taking on something completely new, retirement affords fresh opportunities and even the freedom to experiment as a steady pension may allow the financial support to “try on” different roles. 

Again, it is advantageous to start planning ahead.  Ask:  “What would I want to do if I wasn’t a police officer?”  “What other jobs/careers did I consider back before starting this one?”  “What dreams did I put behind me or leave on hold?”  “What might be a fun way to spend my days?”  And then get to answering those questions and making their answers reality.