# City of Southfield Fire and Police Retirement System City of Southfield Fire and Police Retirement System is a Pension Fund based in Southfield, United States. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Pension Fund - **Headquarters:** Southfield, United States - **Region:** North America - **Address:** Southfield, MI, United States - **Founded:** 1958 - **Assets under management:** Undisclosed - **Website:** cityofsouthfield.com - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/city-of-southfield ## Regulatory record - **Reports private funds:** No ## About The City of Southfield Fire and Police Retirement System provides retirement, disability, and death benefits to sworn police officers and firefighters of Southfield, Michigan. Established under Michigan Public Act 345 of 1937, the system is governed by a Board of Trustees composed of police and fire representatives, citizen appointees, and the city treasurer — a structure codified to ensure that those covered by the plan retain majority board control. Southfield lies just north of Detroit and anchors a commercial corridor that generates the municipal tax base underpinning employer contributions. The system's investment exposure is managed through external funds, with a pronounced real estate allocation documented across multiple vintages and managers. Holdings include II, III core vehicles, JCR Capital's Income Plus IV, Ares Management's Landmark Real Estate Fund VII, Artemis Real Estate Partners Fund IV, Bloomfield Capital Partners V (per the City of Southfield and as of fiscal 2025). This roster blends core, value-add, and opportunistic strategies spanning US commercial and mixed-use assets alongside global mandates. The retirement system operates from Southfield, Michigan, and maintains institutional memberships in both the Michigan Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems and the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (per the City of Southfield, fiscal 2025). Program direction runs through a dedicated administrator, Megan Battersby, who serves as Retirement Program Director. Board leadership sits with President John Fisher, a police representative, and Vice President Duane Garth, a citizen appointee (per the City of Southfield). The board oversees actuarial assumptions, contribution rates, and manager selection in accordance with state law and collective bargaining agreements. What distinguishes the Southfield system from generic municipal plans is its board composition mandate under Act 345. Police and fire members directly elect their own trustees, who sit alongside citizen representatives and a required city treasurer, creating an accountability line that runs straight to the bargaining units themselves — a governance model that makes benefit-security and funding-ratio vigilance the board's defining posture rather than any broader economic-development mandate. ## Sectors - Real Estate - Private Credit ## People - John Fisher — President of the Board of Trustees and Police Representative - Duane Garth — Vice President of the Board of Trustees and Citizen Representative - Irv M. Lowenberg — Trustee and City Treasurer of Southfield - Audrey Harvey — Secretary of the Board of Trustees and Citizen Representative - Brent Wilson — Trustee and Fire Representative - Megan Battersby — Retirement Program Director ## Questions ### Who runs investment decisions at the City of Southfield Fire and Police Retirement System? Investment decisions are made by the Board of Trustees, which includes police and fire representatives, citizen appointees, and the Southfield city treasurer. The board operates under Michigan Public Act 345 and related union contracts. Day-to-day program administration is handled by Retirement Program Director Megan Battersby, with the board retaining ultimate fiduciary authority over manager selection and asset allocation. ### What does the fund's real estate portfolio look like? The system holds a diversified real estate allocation through multiple external managers. Known positions include Prudential's PRISA I, II, and III core commingled funds, JCR Capital's Income Plus IV, Ares Landmark Real Estate Fund VII, TerraCap Partners Fund V, Artemis Real Estate Partners Fund IV, and Bloomfield Capital Partners V (per the City of Southfield, fiscal 2025). These span core, value-add, and opportunistic strategies across US commercial and mixed-use properties as well as global mandates. ### Does the Southfield retirement system allocate to private credit? Yes. The fund has deployed capital into Centerbridge Partners' real estate credit vehicle, which targets debt and structured-equity investments in commercial real estate. This complements a traditional fixed-income allocation typical of municipal pension portfolios. Additional private credit exposures beyond Centerbridge are not publicly disclosed. ### What professional associations does the retirement system maintain? The system is a regular member and conference participant in MAPERS, the Michigan Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems, and holds national membership in NCPERS, the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems. These affiliations provide access to industry education, legislative tracking, and peer benchmarking for public safety pension funds. ## Related profiles - [City of Southfield Employee Retirement System](https://altss.com/profile/city-of-southfield-employee-retirement-system) - [City of Springfield (Mo.) Police & Fire Retirement System](https://altss.com/profile/city-of-springfield-mo-police-fire-retirement-system) --- Last updated: 2026-08-11T02:43:31.692Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/city-of-southfield-fire-and-police-retirement-system Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology