The widow, so long as she remains unmarried, or widower, so long as he remains unmarried, or minor children up to eighteen years of age, of any employee in the service of the county, who prior to July first, one thousand nine hundred and forty-three, is a member of any of the following retirement systems:

County detectives in counties of the first, second, third, and fifth classes (article 2 of chapter 10 of Title 43, of the Revised Statutes);

Probation officers of counties of over eighty-three thousand inhabitants (article 5 of chapter 10 of Title 43, of the Revised Statutes);

Sheriff’s employees in counties of the first and second classes (article 6 of chapter 10 of Title 43, of the Revised Statutes);

Sergeants-at-arms and court criers in counties of the first class (article 7 of chapter 10 of Title 43, of the Revised Statutes);

and who shall at any time lose his life in the performance of his duty or shall die from any cause, or any such employee who shall, at any time, become permanently and totally disabled, shall receive a pension equal to one-half of such employee’s salary at the time of such death or disability, regardless of the length of service or age of such employee, it being the intent of this act to secure to such employees the continuation of a similar present and prospective benefit of the retirement system of which he was a member prior to July first, one thousand nine hundred and forty-three, together with all the benefits provided for in this act; provided, however, that in case any of such employees shall, on July first, one thousand nine hundred and forty-three, have less than twenty years of service as a public employee of the county, or shall have less than twenty years in the aggregate, of service as a public employee of the county and of the State, and of any municipalities or other political subdivisions of the State thereof, the county treasurer shall deduct from every payment of salary to any such employee and pay to the retirement system created under this act, one per centum (1%) of the amount of salary, of such employee, said deduction to continue to be made only until the total length of service, as aforesaid, of such employee shall have reached twenty years, at which time said one per centum (1%) deductions shall cease. Said deductions shall be in addition to the regular deductions provided for in section sixteen of this act. Upon such payment or payments being made or completed, the county shall annually pay into the retirement system herein provided a sum of money equal in amount to the employee’s payment or payments.

L.1943, c. 160, p. 458, s. 8.