Binkley Seeks Stress-Related Medical Leave : Police: Embattled Long Beach chief cites nervousness, anxiety and headaches. Move is often first step toward disability retirement.

Long Beach Police Chief Lawrence Binkley, citing nervousness, anxiety and headaches, has filed for a stress-related disability leave from the department, city officials said Thursday.

Binkley filed a medical claim Wednesday and may be eligible to receive his full salary for up to one year while recovering from his illness, according to Barbara De Jong, the deputy city attorney in charge of workers’ compensation claims.

A medical claim is often the first step before filing for a disability retirement, which pays police officers 50% of their salaries, tax-free, for the rest of their lives. Binkley, who was suspended from his post last month pending a city investigation, is expected to apply for a disability retirement, according to City Hall sources who asked not to be named.

“I know he’s going to file for it. It’s 10% vs. 50%,” one city official said, noting that with Binkley’s five years of service in Long Beach, he would stand to earn about 10% of his $110,000 annual salary under a standard retirement. Binkley is also retired from the Los Angeles Police Department and is eligible for a pension from that agency.

Binkley is the second high-ranking Long Beach police official to file for a stress pension within the last four weeks. Assistant Police Chief Eugene Brizzolara, whose job performance is also under review by the city, filed a stress-related disability claim last month and has not returned to work.

Reaction to Binkley’s application was mixed, with some officials calling it reasonable and others questioning whether it was an abuse of the system.

“He’s certainly under a tremendous amount of stress,” said Mayor Ernie Kell, referring to the embattled police chief’s temporary removal from office after complaints about his tough management style, among other matters.

Prior to the most recent controversy, the 51-year-old chief was embroiled in constant battles with the Police Officers Assn. Binkley also suffered personal crises in recent years, including the death of his daughter and numerous trips to a hospital for intestinal problems.

“I think it’s reasonable, given what the man has been through,” said Councilman Les Robbins.

But some police and city sources questioned whether Binkley was under enough stress to qualify for a disability leave. They added that they consider the chief’s filing ironic in light of his 1990 crackdown on officers he suspected of abusing the workers’ compensation system.

Binkley’s crackdown came after a city study accused Long Beach police of abusing their benefits. According to the study, Long Beach officers claimed time off for injuries nearly three times more often than other officers in the state during the first nine months of 1990.

Binkley would not comment on his medical claim. His attorney, Jim Murphy, said that the chief has undergone “an incredible amount of stress” and would be criticized “no matter where he turns or what he does.”

Some police and city sources expressed concern that city leaders, working to negotiate what one official called “a graceful exit” for the chief, may include a disability retirement as part of a settlement.

But Assistant City Atty. Robert Shannon said that Binkley’s medical claim will be treated like that of any employee. And if Binkley files a disability retirement claim, it will be granted “only if competent medical personnel” determine that the chief cannot return to work, Shannon said. City Manager James Hankla decides on disability retirements based upon recommendations by the city’s Health Department, Shannon said.