RETIRED NYPD DETECTIVES SCREWED? Dental Costs Rise as Benefits Shrink

Retired NYPD Detectives are raising serious questions about changes to their dental benefits: higher costs, diminished benefits, and questions surrounding the broker involved in the plan.

We invited current DEA President Scott Munro to join the discussion. Munro will not be appearing and instead is sending retired DEA Board Officer Rick Tirelli in his place.

*Rick Tirellli pulled out of the Interview, last minute at the request of the DEA Board, even though the DEA President had sent him in his place.

We also invited Retired Detectives’ Endowment Association Trustee, Patrick Donohue to join us and he accepted.

So joining us LIVE to weigh in are two retired NYPD Detectives Patrick Donohue and Rick Tirelli.

We’ll discuss the changes to the retirees’ dental plan, including what retirees are now paying, what benefits have changed, why those changes were made, and BlueLine Planning’s role as broker for the plan.

But this conversation isn’t only about today’s retirees.

Every active NYPD Detective has a stake in this because retirement benefits are part of what members work an entire career to earn. Today’s active detectives are tomorrow’s retirees, and benefits available to them after retirement could be diminished as well.

And this raises a much larger question for every NYPD officer, regardless of rank or union:

Is this the new union strategy take from retirees because they can no longer vote you in or out of office?

And should that change?

Should NYPD retirees have a VOTE and a VOICE in their unions?

Join us Monday, August 31 at 08:05 AM ET LIVE on YouTube and weigh in.

Our live chat is always extremely busy, so we can't get to every question. However, we answer EVERY YOUTUBE SUPER CHAT at the end of each broadcast.

If you're an active or retired NYPD member, bring your questions, hear both sides, and decide for yourself.

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SUPPORT NYPD POLICE OFFICER OMAR HABIB

We’re asking the Finest Unfiltered community and supporters of law enforcement everywhere to help NYPD Police Officer Omar Habib and his family as he continues his legal fight. Omar is the first officer tried and convicted of NYC's Chokehold law.

Omar responded to a 911 call and was met with a resisting perpetrator. The perpetrator was brought into custody and was UNINJURED during the encounter. Omar is currently in RIKERS ISLAND awaiting sentencing of up to 7 years in prison.

A Fund the First Legal Defense & Appeal Fund has been established to help with the financial burden of his legal defense and appeal.

Whether it’s $5, $10, $25 or more, every contribution helps and if you can’t donate, sharing the fundraiser costs nothing and can make a huge difference.

Help us spread the word. Help Omar fight.

100% of donations made through the campaign go through Fund the First according to the campaign's terms.

Donate to Omar Habib’s Legal Defense & Appeal Fund

Please donate, share the campaign, and keep the conversation going.

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An explosive new federal lawsuit accuses New York City, former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, James Caban, former Adams administration staffer Ray Martin, and members of Brooklyn’s 60th Precinct of participating in or enabling an alleged campaign of harassment and retaliation against Shamel Kelly, owner of Juice & Moore.

According to the complaint, Kelly alleges his problems intensified after he filed complaints against NYPD officers. He claims his business was repeatedly visited and raided, including an operation involving more than 40 NYPD officers that allegedly resulted in 26 violations—all of which were ultimately dismissed. Juice n more .pdf

The lawsuit’s most explosive allegation involves James Caban, twin brother of former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban. Kelly alleges he was referred to Caban for help with his police-related problems and that Caban initially requested approximately $2,500 to resolve them. Kelly claims that after he refused, police activity around his business intensified. These are allegations contained in the lawsuit and have not been proven in court. Juice n more .pdf

The complaint alleges officers visited the business more than 60 times in one year, contributing to Juice & Moore eventually closing in November 2023. Kelly is now seeking more than $6 million in compensatory and consequential damages, along with additional economic, punitive and other damages.

On The Finest Unfiltered, we break down exactly what the lawsuit alleges, the roles attributed to the Cabans, Ray Martin and members of the 60th Precinct, and what comes next in this federal case.

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The debate over public safety, artificial intelligence, license plate readers and personal privacy is intensifying across America.

In this episode of The Finest Unfiltered, we sit down with Robert A. Berman, Chairman & CEO of Rekor Systems (NASDAQ: REKR), to discuss whether communities really have to choose between effective public-safety technology and protecting the privacy of ordinary citizens.

Rekor believes there is another way.

As Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) and vehicle-recognition systems face increased scrutiny over surveillance, data retention, information sharing and government access, Rekor has proposed a privacy-focused architecture designed to preserve legitimate law-enforcement uses while reducing unnecessary collection and exposure of information involving everyday drivers.

We discuss:

• How Rekor's technology differs from other ALPR systems

With the national debate increasingly framed as security vs. surveillance, Robert Berman explains why Rekor believes technology can provide law enforcement with valuable intelligence without forcing Americans to surrender reasonable expectations of privacy.

Learn more about Rekor:

Learn more about Rekor Systems (NASDAQ: REKR):

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Former NYPD Chief of Department John Chell wants to be the next Mayor of New York City.

But before New Yorkers decide whether a former cop belongs in City Hall, The Finest Unfiltered is taking a look at the entire John Chell record — not just the campaign promises.

Chell is proposing a dramatically different direction for the NYPD, including making it the highest-paid police department in the nation, increasing the department to nearly 40,000 officers, and establishing physical-fitness standards for members of every rank.

That last proposal raises some interesting questions.

Throughout Chell's rise through the NYPD ranks, critics and observers questioned his own physical appearance and whether he appeared to represent the type of fitness standard he is now advocating for other officers and supervisors.

Chell also retired from the NYPD on a three-quarter disability pension, reportedly worth approximately $296,000 per year and largely tax-free.

We examine Chell's lengthy and checkered NYPD history, controversies surrounding his leadership, and the recent lawsuits in which Chell has been named, while distinguishing allegations contained in litigation from established facts.

There is also the other side of the argument.

Chell spent more than three decades in the NYPD and ultimately became Chief of Department — the highest-ranking uniformed position in America's largest police department. He understands policing, crime and the internal workings of New York City government in a way few traditional political candidates can claim.

So what would a Mayor John Chell actually look like?

Could a former NYPD Chief restore staffing, morale and competitive salaries to the department?

Or will Chell's record, controversies, disability pension and past leadership decisions become major liabilities once a citywide campaign begins examining his career?

We break down the good, the bad and the controversial and ask:

JOHN CHELL FOR MAYOR — IS NYC READY?

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NYPD Police Officer Omar Habib dedicated 19 years to a job that constantly tells its members that the “NYPD family” will always have their backs.

But when Habib needed that support most, was he abandoned by the very institution he served?

In this episode of New York’s Finest: Retired & Unfiltered, John Macari, Eric Dym & Marlon Bethel take a deep dive into the case of former NYPD Officer Omar Habib—examining the incident, the decisions that followed, and the legal battle that has left serious questions about how police officers are treated when an encounter becomes controversial.

We break down the facts of Habib’s case, examine the actions and decisions being scrutinized, and ask a much bigger question:

Do Blue Lives Really Matter—or only when it’s politically convenient?

This episode isn’t just about one police officer. It’s about what happens when cops who are expected to make split-second decisions suddenly find themselves standing alone.

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Flock cameras are rapidly expanding across America, giving law enforcement access to a powerful network of automated license plate readers capable of identifying vehicles and helping investigators track suspects and solve crimes.

But as the technology expands, so does a much bigger question:

How much surveillance are Americans willing to accept in the name of public safety?

In this episode of The Finest Unfiltered, we break down the growing debate surrounding Flock Safety cameras, automated license plate readers (ALPRs), police surveillance, privacy rights, and the Fourth Amendment.

Are Flock cameras simply another valuable tool that helps police locate stolen vehicles, identify suspects, and solve violent crimes?

Or are we quietly building a massive surveillance network capable of tracking the movements of ordinary Americans who have committed no crime?

We discuss:

• How Flock cameras and ALPR technology work

Technology has changed policing forever. The question is whether the safeguards protecting Americans from government surveillance can keep up.

What do you think?

Would you support Flock cameras in your community if they helped police solve serious crimes, or does the potential for widespread surveillance go too far?

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The NYPD has repeatedly celebrates historic declines in shootings — but what if a major category of gunfire isn't included in the shooting numbers being promoted to the public?

Tomorrow on The Finest Unfiltered, we break down NYC Council Int. 935-A, legislation approved by the City Council requiring the NYPD to publicly report confirmed firearm discharges — including incidents where nobody was struck by gunfire.

For years, the NYPD's publicly reported shooting-incident statistics have focused on incidents involving shooting victims. But when someone fires a gun on a NYC street and misses everyone, that gunfire does not necessarily appear in the shooting-incident numbers cited when officials announce declining shootings.

Now NYC wants those confirmed firearm discharges reported separately.

We break down:

What Int. 935-A requires.

The difference between a shooting incident and a confirmed firearm discharge

Why shots fired where nobody is struck matter when measuring gun violence

Whether the additional data could change how New Yorkers view NYC's historic crime reductions.

And the biggest question: How much gunfire has been occurring that isn't reflected in the headline shooting numbers?

Is NYC really experiencing historically low gun violence or have New Yorkers been looking at an incomplete picture?The Finest Unfiltered

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MAMDANI CAUGHT IN THE ACT?

Zohran Mamdani has been one of the NYPD’s most vocal critics but what happens when his own family wants the protection of the very police department he has spent years attacking?

On this episode of The Finest Unfiltered, we break down the controversy surrounding an alleged attempt to secure an NYPD escort/security detail for Mamdani’s wife and the questions it raises about taxpayer-funded police resources, political privilege and who exactly is entitled to NYPD protection.

Then we turn to a major case that could have consequences for cops across New York City:

NYPD Officer Guilty Under NYC’s Chokehold Law

A Bronx NYPD officer has been found guilty on all counts in what News 12 describes as a landmark case involving NYC’s prohibition on certain restraint methods. Prosecutors say the officer was convicted of second-degree strangulation, third-degree assault and unlawful methods of restraint.

We break down the case, the controversial law, what police officers are actually permitted to do when physically restraining a resisting suspect, and what this verdict could mean for cops on the street.

ON TODAY’S SHOW:

• Mamdani and the NYPD security controversy

️ New York’s Finest: Retired & Unfiltered

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Dr. Anthony Fauci’s COVID-era guidance didn’t just shape national public-health policy — it influenced decisions that had enormous consequences for members of the NYPD.

On this episode of The Finest Unfiltered, we examine the newly released Fauci communications and revisit what happened inside the NYPD during the vaccine-mandate era.

Officers who questioned the mandate faced enormous pressure. Some lost careers, some lost much more. We discuss how the mandate affected officers health, their morale, overall retention retention, labor relations, religious accommodations, medical decisions, and trust in NYPD leadership.

Then comes the bigger question: What happens legally if government agencies relied on public-health guidance while disregarding existing law, collective-bargaining agreements, departmental procedures, and employees’ constitutional and statutory rights?

We break down:

• Fauci’s newly released text messages and what they reveal about the COVID-era decision-making process

• How NYPD leadership implemented vaccine requirements

The pandemic may be over, but for many NYPD officers and their families, the consequences are not.

The Finest Unfiltered asks questions others won’t.

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Is NYPD Chief of Department Mike Lipetri being positioned to become Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s next Police Commissioner?

On this episode of The Finest Unfiltered, we break down why we believe Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch will eventually step down, what could trigger her departure, and whether Chief of Department Mike Lipetri is being positioned to become Mamdani’s next NYPD Police Commissioner.

We’ll examine Lipetri’s rise through NYPD leadership, the politics surrounding the Commissioner’s office, and what a Lipetri-led NYPD could look like under the Mamdani administration.

Also on today’s show:

AI answering 911 calls in New Orleans — is this where emergency response is headed?

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