the annual salary or compensation of the office from which he is retired, as the commissioner may determine. 3. Any member of the force who has served twenty years or longer, and is certified by the physician to the board of health to be permanently incapacitated for police service, either mentally or physically, may be retired at his own request by the police commissioner, with the approval of the mayor; and his pension shall be one-half of the amount of compensation received by him at the time of retirement. 4. Any member of the force, with the exception noted hereafter, who has reached the age of sixty-five years shall be retired by the police commissioner, if the mayor approve; and his pension shall be one-half of the amount of compensation received by him at the time of retirement. Soldiers and sailors who served during the war of the rebellion, and who have received an honorable discharge, shall not be retired at the age of sixty-five years except at their own request. On the other hand, such soldier or sailor who has reached the age of sixty years, without regard to the length of his service, or has served twenty years, without regard to his age, shall be retired, should he so request, with a pension of one-half of the amount of compensation received by him at the time of his retirement. 5. Any member of the force in good standing who has reached the age of sixty years and has served not less than twenty-five years shall be retired, should he so request, by the police commissioner; and the amount of his annual pension shall be one-half of the yearly compensation received by him at the time of his retirement. The provisions of the preceding section apply also to engineers and firemen serving in the department. An act was passed in 1904 extending the same provisions to members of the police signal service, the act to take effect when accepted by the city council of the city of Boston; but it has never been so accepted. WIDOWS AND ORPHANS. Chapter 178, Acts of 1887, provides that if any member of the police department shall die from injuries received while in the discharge of his duty and shall leave a widow, or if no widow any child or children under the age of sixteen years, a sum not exceeding $300 may be paid by the city of Boston as an annuity to such widow so long as she remains unmarried, or for the benefit of such child or children so long as he or they continue under the age of sixteen years, and the police commissioner may from time to time determine the amount of such annuity within said limits. The usual procedure under this act is that the widow or the orphan petitions the city council for an annuity, and should an order granting it be passed and approved by the mayor, the police commissioner by investigation, and if deemed necessary, after a hearing, determines the amount to be paid; and such amount may be changed from time to time at his discretion. POLICE CHARITABLE FUND. The police charitable fund, which amounts to a sum in excess of two hundred thousand dollars, is in the custody of the treasurer of the city of Boston. The income only is expended by the police commissioner, with the approval of the mayor, for the relief of persons who have received an honorable discharge from the police force because of sickness, age or disability, and are in consequence of such disability in necessitous circumstances; and for the relief of widows and orphans in necessitous circumstances; of police officers who have died while in the service or from the effects of injuries received in the execution of their duty. September 1, 1909, there were sixty-four beneficiaries of this fund, to whom the average monthly payment was $9.67. POLICE RELIEF ASSOCIATION. The Boston police relief association is a voluntary organization composed of members of the police force and of former members now retired who were members of the association when in active service. It pays to members one dollar a day during sickness, to a member on the death of his wife $100, and to a designated beneficiary or to the legal heirs of a deceased member $1,000 on his death. NEW LEGISLATION. Chapter 657, Acts of 1913, provides as follows: "No person who now or hereafter receives a pension or an annuity from any city or town or any county shall be paid for any service, except service as a juror, rendered by him to said city, town or county, after the date of the first payment of such pension or annuity." Chapter 681, Acts of 1913, provides as follows: "Any police officer in this Commonwealth who shall hereafter be retired and pensioned under the provisions of the law, and who has accepted or may accept another appointment or employment as a police officer or police official in any city or town in the Commonwealth, shall cease to receive a pension during such time as he shall hold the new appointment as police officer or police official as aforesaid." [NOTE, 1913. A special commission appointed by the governor, under authority of a resolve of the Legislature of 1913, is investigating the whole subject of pensions throughout the Commonwealth and is to report to the Legislature of 1914.] INDEX. Note. This index is not designed to cover all possible matters of Matters of law, as distinct from police rules, are not covered in The important subjects treated in the pocket diary furnished AND PRISONERS, STATION HOUSES, POCKET DIARY.) rule relating to . 157 accidents to be investigated by inspector of claims 55 information as to accidents not to be given except 55 139 |