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Fired Police Officer to Receive Full Benefits

Maureen Wurtz

OMAHA (KPTM)-  Imagine working some at some place for nearly 30 years, and being fired just weeks before you were set to retire.

That is what happened to a former Bellevue Police officer, and his lawyer said he was fired out of spite.

Bellevue City Council overturned Roger Anderson's firing Monday night.

Former Bellevue Police Chief John Stacey had fired Anderson in January, just a few weeks before he was set to retire.

Stacey claimed Anderson mused sick time when he gave a firearms test to a former officer Stacey had wanted fired.

Since Anderson was fired, he didn't get his full retirement package.

The council made the decision to turn Anderson's firing into a suspension, which means Anderson will get approximately 200 thousand dollars added onto his pension, according to his lawyer.

"There's been public outrage over the fact that he was terminated for something that appeared to be retaliation for helping out a fellow officer, someone that the city had spent five years trying to terminate," said Anderson's lawyer, Steve Delaney.

"Essentially the decision was made that in the best interest of the city, at this point, it was time to come to a resolution," said Bellevue City Attorney, Patrick Sullivan. "Allow him to be suspended for the period that he had left, which was about 45 days before he was eligible for retirement."

Anderson had been a police officer for 29 years. 

Anderson was out of town Monday, and could not be reached for a comment.