Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 8.544 of this Charter, members of the police department, as defined in Section 8.559-1, who are members of the Retirement System under Section 8.554 on the effective date of this section and persons who become members of the Retirement System under Section 8.544 after said effective date and prior to July 1, 1975, shall have the option, to be exercised in writing on a form furnished by the Retirement System and to be filed at the office of said system not later than June 30, 1975, of being members of the system under this section instead of said Section 8.544, the election pursuant to said option to be effective as of July 1, 1975; provided that such of said members who, during the period from the effective date of this section through June 30, 1975, are absent by reason of service in the armed forces of the United States or by reason of any other service included in Section 8.520(a) of this Charter shall have the same option of electing to be members under this section instead of Section 8.544, until 90 days after their return to service in the police department.
Those persons who become members of the police department, as defined in Section 8.559-1, on or after July 1, 1975, and those persons who elect to be members under this section as provided in the preceding paragraph, shall be members of the system subject to provisions of Sections 8.559, 8.559-1, 8.559-2, 8.559-3, 8.559-4, 8.559-5, 8.559-6, 8.559-7, 8.559-8, 8.559-9, 8.559-10, 8.559-11, 8.559-12 and 8.559-13 (which shall apply only to members under Section 8.559) in addition to the provisions contained in Sections 3.670 to 3.672, both inclusive, and Sections 8.500, 8.510 and 8.520 of this Charter, notwithstanding the provisions of any other section of this Charter, and shall not be subject to any of the provisions of Section 8.544 of this Charter.