MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — A veteran police officer in New York is facing termination just six months before retirement, a move that would also end his health insurance as he battles kidney failure. According to WPTA, Derek Williams, a 19-year member of the Mount Vernon Police Department and former emer gency service unit officer, was recently notified that his employment will end Dec. 31. Williams contracted COVID-19 in 2020 after months of working double shifts during the pandemic. He has since been diagnosed with kidney failure and now undergoes nine hours of dialysis, seven days a week, to stay alive. “Without that, I wouldn’t survive,” Williams said. The Mount Vernon Police Department has classified Williams’ condition as non-job-related, despite his service during the height of the pandemic. When his health deteriorated to the point that he could no longer patrol, the department stopped paying him. Former Mount Vernon Police Commissioner Shawn Harris criticized the decision. “Derek’s character caused him to come in and work and support this city and the residents of this city during the worst pandemic that we’ve had,” Harris said. Doctors have cleared the 45-year-old officer for desk duty, and Williams is just six months away from qualifying for a reduced pension. That request, however, was denied. “I begged for my job back,” Williams said. “I begged to come in whatever hours that I can be capable of doing. And I was told there’s no light duty for me.” Earlier this month, Williams received a termination letter that will not only end his career, but also cut off his health insurance, a critical lifeline as he awaits a kidney transplant. “I just feel like they have no empathy. They had no compassion,” Williams said. WPTA reports Williams has applied for a state disability pension and is currently on a kidney transplant waiting list. “To be blunt, if you’re terminating his employment, you’re terminating his life, in so many words,” Harris said. Supporters, including retired Mount Vernon police officers, have rallied around Williams as his case continues to draw attention and public concern. The post Longtime New York Police Officer With Kidney Failure Facing Termination Months Before Retirement appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less