Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm facilitated Brown?s gift from taxpayers by claiming he was “laid off” in a Jan. 29 letter to the Fire and Police Employees? Retirement System. A technicality in the law allows those whose positions are eliminated to receive a full pension if they have served 15 years, as had Brown. Hamm characterized his actions as regular procedure. The problem is Brown accepted a position as chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police ? at $127,500 per year ? three days before Hamm supposedly laid him off.

We disagree with any flouting of the rules. But it is especially egregious at a time when retirement benefits for city employees eat a larger and larger portion of the city budget ? 20 percent of the operating budget ? and 10 percent overall in 2008. The city contributions for pension benefits alone have risen from $25 million per year in 2000 to $118 million in 2008. You do the math.

We can?t afford to pay for those who have served their time without massive cuts to city services and/or tax hikes in the near future, much less those who fraudulently draw benefits.

Police officers injured in the line of duty say their pension benefits fall way below Brown?s.

Baltimore City Councilman Ken Harris and state Del. Jill Carter (D-41) have called on different authorities to investigate the pension scheme. That is a start.

But Baltimore City police must immediately amend its “regular procedures” to prohibit more people like Brown from winning pensions without meeting the criteria for them. Brown would also show his commitment to the law, as a man of the law, by renouncing any right to his pension. All others drawing full pensions without first serving the proper amount of time must do the same.

How are we to trust the command staff if they show more interest in milking taxpayers for their retirement than making Baltimore a safer city?