Members of local law enforcement agencies retiring near the holidays

MEDFORD, Ore. — Local law enforcement agencies say they’re fully staffed for the holiday, but late in the year can be a common time for officers to retire.

Jackson County’s two largest law enforcement agencies, the sheriff’s office and Medford Police Department, say they’re not hiring right now.

However, in recent years, both agencies have lost experienced staff.

In some cases, PERS makes it more financially beneficial to retire sooner… rather than later.

“There’s probably a greater percentage of retirees coming up right now because there was a hiring push in the late 1980’s early 1990’s and those employees are nearing their retirement age,” said Chief Tim Doney, Talent Police Department.

Chief Doney previously retired from his job as Chief of the Springfield Police Department. His predecessor, Chief Curtis Whipple, was also a former Medford Police officer who retired to take the job in Talent.