Ballard vows to help Fishburn 7.17.11

INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Mayor Greg Ballard promised Saturday to do everything in his power to help Jason Fishburn, the Indianapolis police officer seeking approval of a full pension three years after a gunshot wound left him permanently disabled.
"Jason had the city's back when he was chasing that murder suspect," Ballard said. "The city's going to have his back as he's fighting for this pension."
Fishburn was shot in the head on July 10, 2008, while chasing homicide suspect Brian Reese between houses in the 800 block of Euclid Avenue on the city's Eastside. Reese shot Fishburn once in the head and once in his protective vest.
Reese, 39, pleaded guilty in October to killing three people days before shooting Fishburn.
Fishburn, 32, attempted to work a desk job for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department after multiple surgeries and a lengthy recovery.
He had hoped to return to the streets one day, but earlier this year, he said his law enforcement career was over.
Upon applying for a medical retirement in May, Fishburn received word that Indiana retirement fund officials had set his pension at 69 percent of his annual salary -- or about $41,000.
A local pension board had recommended that Fishburn receive a full pension of 90 percent, about $53,550 a year.
Fishburn plans to appeal the state panel's decision. "I'm sure there was nothing intentionally malicious (on the part of retirement officials)," Ballard said Saturday. "It sounds to me like a bureaucratic thing."
Ballard plans to direct attorneys with the city's legal team to assist Fishburn, he said. "We'll do whatever is appropriate to appeal this decision," said Ballard, who spoke briefly to reporters Saturday before a semipro football game at Roncalli High School. Fishburn and his wife, Tonya, stood a few feet away from Ballard but declined to speak to the media. The officer's father, Dennis Fishburn, expressed appreciation for Ballard's support.
"The mayor is a great gentleman who believes in public safety officers," Dennis Fishburn said.
"I think he's going to fight hard to make sure this decision is reversed."
A spokesman for the Indiana Public Retirement System has said initial pension amounts are based on findings from a physician who reviews paperwork and uses American Medical Association guidelines to determine the degree of impairment. Jason Fishburn walks with a limp and finds it difficult to control his right arm and hand.
He also sometimes struggles to find words to express his thoughts, his father said. Another IMPD officer was honored at the football game. David Moore, a Roncalli graduate, was fatally wounded in the line of duty in January.
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