

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Oakland officials are investigating why a former police officer is collecting $52,488 a year in medical disability benefits from the city even though he has been working as an FBI agent in Boston.



The unusual case of FBI Special Agent Aaron McFarlane, 41, came to the attention of Oakland officials after the agent was identified last week as the federal officer who shot and killed a key figure last year in the Boston Marathon bombing investigation.



The disability benefit that McFarlane is collecting under the California Public Employees' Retirement System is awarded when a worker is unable to perform the usual duties of his or her current position "due to an illness or injury that is expected to be permanent or of an undetermined duration," said Joe DeAnda, a CalPERS spokesman.



Those on disability retirement are banned from doing similar work for any other government agency in California.



[...]In an interview Thursday, Kieran Ramsey, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI in Boston, declined to confirm McFarlane's identity, details about his being hired or any issues surrounding his pension, other than to say that prospective agents undergo a "very rigorous background investigation."



The FBI website says "physical fitness is often the factor that spells the difference between success and failure - even life and death." It said those who want to become agents "must be in excellent physical condition with no disabilities which would interfere in firearm use, raids or defensive tactics."







