Slain Tampa officer's companion can't get pension

TAMPA -- (AP) -- The woman who was the longtime companion of a female police officer killed in the line of duty will not be able to collect the city pension that normally would go to a spouse, Tampa officials have decided.

Veteran police Officer Lois Marrero was a little more than a year from retiring with a generous pension when she was killed by a suspected bank robber Friday.

Marrero's spouse would have been entitled to monthly pension payments equal to half her salary.

But Marrero had no spouse, at least not one recognized by Florida law.

Marrero, an 18-year police veteran, shared her life with Mickie Mashburn, a detective on the force. Though the women had been a couple for 10 years, Mashburn can't collect spousal benefits from the department's pension fund that only pays to a surviving spouse or children, according to pension board Chairman Tom Singleton.

``It's a tragic situation,'' Singleton said.

``It's a whole new arena for us, same-sex partners. I can say it's something we'll be looking into.''

Tampa City Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena floated the idea of a domestic-partner ordinance last year, but the council never acted on the measure. Such laws in other cities create domestic partner registries to give legal status to same-sex and unmarried opposite-sex couples.

But such an ordinance would have had no effect on police pension disbursements, which are governed by state law and can only be changed by the Florida Legislature.

Marrero's estate will be reimbursed the amount she contributed to the plan, a minimum of 2 percent of her salary.

Singleton, a longtime friend of both women, said he wishes he could do more.

``Lois was a hell of a cop, and Mickie is, too,'' he said.

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