On December 23, 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the signing of legislation providing former Buffalo police officer Cariol Horne, eligibility for retirement benefits. Ms. Horne was rendered ineligible to file for service retirement benefits as the result of her wrongful termination from the City of Buffalo Police Department.
Although subsequently the termination was corrected and she was reinstated to her former postition, the termination meant she was ineligible for retirement benefits. The legislation, Chapter 800 of the Laws of 2021, grants Ms. Horne a retroactive retirement date of August 5th, 2010 for the purposes of determining her retirement benefits from the New York State and Local Police and Fire Retirement System.