Injured Officer Who Fought for Job Gets Disability Pension
A Los Angeles police officer who had been fighting to return to his patrol assignment despite having lost an eye during an on-duty gunfight retired Thursday after receiving a disability pension.
Los Angeles Police Officer Jay Cicinelli was awarded 70% of his salary tax-free for the rest of his life. Although pleased with the pension deal, the 26-year-old officer said he would rather have returned to work as a patrol officer.
“I’m glad it’s over,” Cicinelli said. “Two years of my life have been on hold because of this.”
Cicinelli, who worked in the LAPD’s 77th Division, was shot Dec. 14, 1996, during a routine traffic stop. One of the vehicle’s occupants shot the young officer in the face and then fired several more bullets at him as he lay on the ground.
The gunman, Raul Jimenez, was convicted this year of attempted murder and given a life sentence.
After the shooting, Cicinelli made a speedy recovery and tried to return to his patrol assignment. However, department officials decided that his injuries were too severe to let him work patrol.
Not wanting a desk job, Cicinelli sued the LAPD in an effort to win his old job back. He contended that he could perform his duties as well as he did before he was injured. In fact, he said, his shooting scores even improved after the incident.
Moreover, Cicinelli contended that then-Chief Willie L. Williams assured him he could return to patrol. Chief Bernard C. Parks, citing city liability concerns, did not honor that arrangement, Cicinelli said Thursday. The chief had also said the probationary officer did not meet entry-level hiring standards as a result of the injury.
Nonetheless, Parks lobbied pension commissioners to award Cicinelli a sizable pension.
“It is my strongly felt position that Officer Jay Cicinelli is deserving of a generous disability pension to assist him in rebuilding his life and providing for his future,” the chief wrote in a letter to the board.
Pension officials recommended that Cicinelli receive 40% of his salary, but the board voted to increase the amount to 70%.
“I was real happy with the outcome of the hearing,” Cicinelli said. “But no amount of money I receive is going to give me back my eye.”
Cicinelli said he is contacting other police departments in the Southern California area in an attempt to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a patrol officer.
“He was forced into the pension route, it wasn’t something he did voluntarily,” said Lawrence J. Hanna, Cicinelli’s attorney, adding that the lawsuit against the department will proceed. “He’s very happy with the pension, but he’d rather be out on the street doing what he’s trained to do.”
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