Sec. 17. TRANSFERS FROM OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS.  No prior credit shall be allowed for service to any person who may hereafter transfer from some other department in the city to the Police Department.  Policemen now serving who have heretofore transferred from some other city department may be given credit for such prior service by the Pension Board.  The prior-service credits shall all be granted within sixty (60) days after this Act becomes law.  For example, if one is transferred from some other department of the city to the city Police Department, sixty-one (61) days after this Act becomes law, such person's service will be computed only from the day he enters the city Police Department.
Sec. 18. GIFTS AND DONATIONS.  The Police Officers' Pension System may accept gifts and donations and such gifts or donations shall be added to the Pension Fund for the use of such System.
Sec. 19. LEGAL MATTERS.  The city attorney of such city shall handle all legal matters for the Pension System which are referred to him by the Pension Board or city without additional compensation therefor.  The Pension Board may, however, employ an attorney, or attorneys, to handle its legal matters and shall pay reasonable compensation therefor out of said Pension System Fund.
Sec. 20. EXEMPTION FROM LEGAL PROCESS;  ASSIGNMENT OR TRANSFER.  No portion of any such Pension System Fund, either before or after its order of disbursement by said Pension Board, and no amounts due or to become due any beneficiary or pensioner, under this Act, shall ever be held, seized, taken, subjected to, detained, or levied upon by virtue of any execution, attachment, garnishment, injunction, or other writ, and no order or decree, and no process or proceedings whatsoever, shall issue out of or by any court of this State for the payment of satisfaction, in whole or in part, out of said Pension System Fund, of any debt, damage, claim, demand, or judgment against any such members, pensioners, dependents, or any person whomsoever, nor shall such Pension System Fund or any part thereof, or any claim thereto, be directly or indirectly assigned or transferred.  Any attempt to transfer or assign the same or any part thereof or any claim thereto shall be void.  Said funds shall be sacredly held, kept, and disbursed for the purposes provided by this Act, and for no other purpose whatsoever.
Sec. 21. MILITARY SERVICE.  Members of the Pension System engaged in active military service required because of a National Emergency shall not be required to make the monthly payments into the Pension System Fund provided for in this Act, nor shall they lose any previous years of service with the Police Department caused by such military service.  Such military service shall count as continuous service in the Police Department, provided that when the member is discharged from the military service he shall immediately return to his former duties with the city Police Department.  The city, however, shall be required to make its regular monthly payments into the Pension System Fund on each member while he is so engaged in such military service.  In the event of death of a member of this Pension System, either directly or indirectly caused from such military service, his widow or dependent parent or other dependents shall not be entitled to receive any benefits from this Fund.
Sec. 22. CIVIL ACTIONS.  The Pension Board of any city as herein created and constituted shall have the power and authority to recover by civil action from any offending party, or from his bondsmen, if any, any moneys paid out or obtained from said Pension Fund through fraud, misrepresentation, theft, embezzlement, or misapplication, and may institute, conduct and maintain such action in the name of said Board for the use and benefit of such Fund.
Sec. 23. PARTIAL INVALIDITY.  If any provision, section, part, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or paragraph of this Act be declared invalid or unconstitutional, the same shall not affect any other portion or provision hereof, and all other provisions shall remain valid and unaffected by such invalid portion, if any.
Sec. 24. FORMER EMPLOYEES NOW RECEIVING PENSION.  Immediately upon this Act becoming a law, the former employees of any such Police Department who are now being paid a pension from a pension fund, shall hereafter be paid a monthly pension of One Hundred Dollars ($100) per month out of the Pension Fund provided for herein.  Any such city shall have the right and option to pay such former employees any amount over and above those hereinabove provided for, but such additional payments, if any, shall be borne by such city and not the Pension Fund.
Sec. 25. ELECTION;  ADOPTION WITHOUT ELECTION.  The city is authorized to call an election to determine if the city desires to adopt this Act after a petition has been presented to the governing body of the city, signed by five per cent (5%) of the qualified voters of the city who voted in the last municipal election.  Such election must be advertised by publication in at least one (1) newspaper of general circulation in said city once each week for four (4) consecutive weeks.  The question shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the city at a special election to be held for such purpose at which all ballots shall have printed thereon:
"FOR:  The proposed Police Pension System."
"AGAINST:  The proposed Police Pension System."
No other issues shall be joined with the proposition submitted at this election on the same ballot except as provided in Subsection (f), Section 3 of this Act.
Nothing herein is to prevent the city governing body from adopting the proposed pension plan without an election.
Sec. 26. WITHDRAWAL OF MONEYS;  RETURN ON REINSTATEMENT.  Any policeman who has been relieved from duty or voluntarily quits shall have the right to withdraw all moneys paid in by him into the Pension System.  If he is reinstated in the Police Department with full seniority, he shall return to the Pension Fund the amount of money previously withdrawn when his services were terminated.