A member of the public employees retirement system who is a full-time regular police officer may elect to transfer from the public employees retirement system to the Ohio police and fire pension fund if the member has become a member of a municipal police department as a result of the merger under sections 709.43 to 709.48 of the Revised Code of the municipal corporation with a township that employed the police officer or has, on or after December 1, 1983, been appointed pursuant to section 124.41 or 124.411 of the Revised Code to a police department of a newly incorporated municipal corporation directly from a police department of the township from which the municipal corporation was incorporated. The election shall be made by the police officer by giving notice to the Ohio police and fire pension fund. Any such election shall occur not later than sixty days after the effective date of the merger or of the member’s initial appointment following the incorporation or not later than sixty days after June 14, 1988, whichever occurs later. When such an election is made, the Ohio police and fire pension fund shall notify the public employees retirement system, which shall certify to the fund a copy of the records of the service and contributions of the police officer and shall transfer to the fund all contributions to the credit of the police officer that are based on full-time service, excluding any contributions made by the member’s employer.

A member transferred to the Ohio police and fire pension fund under this section shall be given service credit by the fund equal to the period of full-time service on which the contributions transferred under this section were based.