Still recovering from the July sniper attack that left five law enforcement officers dead, the Dallas Police Department is facing a new crisis as its pension fund approaches insolvency and scores of officers, including Chief David Brown, announce unexpected retirements, the Associated Press reported yesterday. The crisis comes as the Dallas Police Department negotiates with City Hall to raise pay and build its ranks, which union leaders say have been depleted by low pay and poor working conditions. There are currently 3,355 officers in a department that once had 3,600. Problems with the Dallas Police and Fire Pension system have been simmering for years and were coming to a head when the July 7 sniper attack temporarily united the city. But, in recent weeks, the pension crisis has boiled up again because of fears about the system's viability and pleas for calm from fund administrators. More than half of the system's $2.5 billion in assets are in deferred retirement funds, according to Kelly Gottschalk, who took over in 2015 after the fund's previous executive director resigned over the investment scandal.
