KRS 95.022: Employment of retired police officers.

(1) As used in this section:

(a) "City" means any incorporated city, consolidated local government, unified

local government, urban -county government, or charter county government,

operating under the law of this Commonwealth, and the offices and agencies

thereof; and

(b) "Police officer" has the same meaning as "police officer" in KRS 15.420 and

as "officer" in KRS 16.010.

(2) Subject to the limitations of subsection (7) of this section, a city may employ

individuals as police officers under this section who have retired from the Kentucky

Employees Retirement System, the County Employees Retirement System, or the

State Police Retirement System.

(3) To be eligible for employment under this section, an individual shall have:

(a) Participated in the Law Enforcement Foundation Program fund und er KRS

15.410 to 15.510 or retired as a commissioned officer pursuant to KRS

Chapter 16;

(b) Retired with at least twenty (20) years of service credit;

(c) Been separated from service for the period required by KRS 61.637 and

78.5540 so that the member's retirement is not voided;

(d) Retired with no administrative charges pending; and

(e) Retired with no preexisting agreement between the individual and the city

prior to the individual's retirement for the individual to return to work for the

city.

(4) Individuals employed under this section shall:

(a) Serve for a term not to exceed one (1) year. The one (1) year employment

term may be renewed annually at the discretion of the employing city;

(b) Receive compensation according to the standard procedures applicable to the

employing city; and

(c) Be employed based upon need as determined by the employing city.

(5) Notwithstanding any provisions of KRS 16.505 to 16.652, 18A.225 to 18A.2287,

61.510 to 61.705, or 78.510 to 78.852 to the contrary:

(a) Individuals employed under this section shall continue to receive all

retirement and health insurance benefits to which they were entitled upon

retiring in the applicable system administered by Kentucky Retirement

Systems or the County Employees Retirement System;

(b) Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this subsection, individuals employed

under this section shall not be eligible to receive health insurance coverage

through the employing city;

(c) The city shall not pay any employer contributions or retiree heal th expense

reimbursements to the Kentucky Retirement Systems required by KRS

61.637(17) or 78.5540(4) for individuals employed under this section;

(d) Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this subsection, the city shall not pay

any insurance contribution s to the state health insurance plan, as provided by

KRS 18A.225 to 18A.2287, for individuals employed under this section; and

(e) Effective August 1, 2026, the legislative body of the city may by legislative

action provide or authorize provision of health insurance coverage for

individuals employed under this section, subject to the terms and conditions

established by the city.

(6) Individuals employed under this section shall be subject to any merit system, civil

service, or other legislative due process provisions applicable to the employing city.

A decision not to renew a one (1) year appointment term under this section shall not

be considered a disciplinary action or deprivation subject to due process.

(7) A city government shall be limited in the numbe r of retired police officers that it

may hire under this section as follows:

(a) A city government that employed an average of five (5) or fewer police

officers over the course of the immediately preceding calendar year shall not

be limited in the number of officers that they may hire under this section;

(b) A city government that employed an average of more than five (5) but fewer

than one hundred (100) police officers over the course of the immediately

preceding calendar year shall not hire more than five (5) police officers or a

number equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of the police officers employed by

the city in the immediately preceding calendar year, whichever is greater; and

(c) A city government that employed an average of one hundred (100) or mor e

police officers over the course of the immediately preceding calendar year

shall not hire more than twenty -five (25) police officers or a number equal to

ten percent (10%) of the police officers employed by the city in the

immediately preceding calendar year, whichever is greater.

(8) Retired police officers employed by a city government for purposes of KRS

158.4414 shall not apply against the limitations provided by subsection (7) of this

section.