Gary Monto fell in love with martial arts long before he decided to become a Toledo police officer.
So, instead of picking one over the other, Monto had two careers. He served 22 years in law enforcement and ran the American Academy of Martial Arts.
He never regretted joining the police force. What disappoints him now is how the federal government penalized him for working in both the public and private sectors. A 1983 federal law called the Windfall Elimination Protection (WEP) cut his Social Security benefits by more than 60%. I lose thousands every year, Monto said. There s nothing I can do to stop it.