Police Department salaries: A closer look
How much do you pay your local police force? Are they paid enough? Is policing still an underpaid, blue-collar job? Are the pension packages (generous by any definition) sustainable?
These are interesting questions for residents and local governments to wrestle with. I suspect they'll be wrestled with much more now that the economic boom is being lowered on local governments' revenues.
The problem is, for too long people just flat haven't known how much public safety costs, and how much police officers make (the same argument can be made for firefighters, of course, and we'll explore that too).
A June 15 article in the Orange County Register read by clicking here revealed that the average pay of all officers in the OC Sheriff's Department was more than $100,000.
The article still shocks many people. The paper's blog has received more than 1,000 responses. All deputies salaries, overtime, names and ranks are on the paper's site.
So how about San Bernardino City Police? The department's budget has seen unprecedented growth during the era of Chief Mike BIlldt. Incredibly, it's looking to grow by millions more next year (despite a massive city deficit) to around $70 million annually.
Well, we'll soon be seeing for the first time an itemized list of all the overtime earned by officers in San Bernardino last year.
I do have a list of every city employee name, title and base salary (not including bonuses and overtime), and I've done some calculations. I don't plan on publishing the names of all rank-and-file officers.
The average officer and sergeant, ie. the rank-and-file, earns about $82,000 annually. This figure was arrived at by taking a sample of about 100 officers and could range anywhere from $81,000 to $83,000.
The average command staff member, ie. the 13 men and 1 woman who are lieutenants, captains, assistant chief and chief, earn a base average of $134,402 annually.
The highest paid person in 2006-7 was Chief BIlldt, who earned $196,224.00. The minimum salary for the 10 lieutenants is $131,400.00.
The lowest paid police officers earn a base salary of $58,632. There are 18 officers earning that salary.
What this shows is that the average pay department-wide is going to approach $90,000, well within striking distance - once we get ahold of the overtime and bonus pay totals - of the $100,000 average that has stirred so much backlash in Orange County.
The median salary for all workers in SB County is around $37,000. Nationwide, the median income for family households is about $48,000.
Obviously, part of the discussion will be the pension packages for retired officers, and whether that kind of cost can be borne by the taxpayer indefinitely. Using the "3 at 50" formula, which allows 30 year department vets to retire with 90 percent of their highest annual salaries, Chief Billdt could retire today and keep drawing a $176,601.00 paycheck for the rest of his life.
Plenty people agree with these pay scales and pension packages. Some do not. Regardless, the public needs these kinds of facts to have the discussion.
3 Comments
Leave a comment
About SB Now Blog
Andrew Edwards. E-mail Andrew here.
Pay the cops in San Bernardino more...if the OC Sheriff's Dept is making $100,000 for policing places like San Clemente the cops in San Bernardino deserve twice of what OC makes!
If people are upset wwith what Police Officers make, why don't they go down and apply for a job with them...it looks like several agencies are hiring to include san bernardino.
We should be upset at the Oil tycoons, and other sectors of the community who are making BILLIONS of dollars and not putting their lives on the line one day for their salary.
Mr. Rogers, having done ride alongs with some local Police Departments in San Bernadino County, these men and women who protect you should get paid more than what they are.
I find it interesting to see that your biggest bone of contention is with the San Bernardino Police Department. Why is that? Did they not find you qualified to do the job that the men and women of that agency do?
Why not write about other waste within Government...or the community? You find other journalistic ideas and try to make them your own...why? Can you not come up with your own ideas for stories? Are your not confident that your editors and co-workers support your "idea" of journalism? So you have to find ideas that made it to press in other newspapers? I find your brand of journalism extremely juvenile.
About 1% of the United States population are cut out to do what these men and women do....So Mr. Rogers don't be upset that you have to sit and cast stones at the protectors of the community from the safety of your desk. You too can do what they do, or can you?????
Here's an idea for a good story...you apply, get hired, and write a daily blog about your journey through the academy...
Ah what the heck was I thinking???!!! We would want a non-fictional account of what occurs..oh well!
I look forward to your tirade, I meant, "reply"...
Mr. Appleton,
I will be happy to reply to some points you've made. Some of it is worthy of discussion. You think SBPD should be paid more. That is fine. Some people may agree and some may disagree.
However, baseless attacks on me and my integrity are not fit for the blog. If you want to call me a liar, have evidence. It may be convenient for you to discount facts by alleging that I have a vendetta, but the facts remain.
Robert Rogers
Scott says “only 1% of the population is cut out to do what these men and women do.” Now would I find the corresponding reference material for that statement in the non-fiction or Appleton opinion section? Just checking because I was under the impression that the armed forces are still in the business of training young men and women to do precisely what the brave men and women of the San Bernardino Police Department do on a daily basis. PUBLIC DISCLAIMER “Academy courses do not not include specialized training in shift sleeping behind bars on south E. Street, check with your assigned training officer for more detail .”
I’m not 100% certain but I feel pretty confident in saying that if we total the number of young people receiving said training, they just may exceed that 1% figure you quoted. Oh and I do believe the policing they have been ordered to do in Afghanistan and Iraq is tad bit more taxing than patrolling the streets of San Bernardino. Not to mention the pay absolutely sucks and the benefits aren’t nearly as good.
Now I know those urban terrorists are a scary lot but I can assure you they haven’t quite mastered the art of the roadside bomb. Wait let me check… Nope no reports of suicide bombings on Mt. Vernon and uh, contrary to popular belief PPHG is not receiving aide from Iran. I imagine life in the ghetto for those who live east of the 215, no I mean, E Street, uh, Waterman, let me try again Del Ro, err Palm, give me a sec. Boulder! Yes, east of Boulders “green zone,” safe. As I was saying, life must seem pretty strange or even alien from over there but the residents who just so happen to reside in Falujah “or the California Gardens if your prefer,” are no less entitled to respect and consideration than say Judy Valles and her north end neighbors.
Something In Common
Wow you mean to tell me you and I actually have something in common. I too have been on a few ride a longs. Aren’t they wonderful? I love em they’re a great promotional tool aren’t they? Actually I guess I shouldn’t call what I experienced a ride along because my ride was involuntary and the view from the back of the car wasn’t anything to write home about. Plus I couldn’t find the door handles and there weren’t any cup holders. For all the money they spend on upgrading the squad cars, you would think they’d at least add cup holders for the guests. Memo to Chief Bildt see if you can squeeze out a few bucks for rear door handles, oh and padded seats for the cruisers. Anyway back to my ranting or should I say rambling tirade?
Journalistic Integrity vs. Status Quo Protection
Maybe I’m wrong but Scott isn’t the police department’s loose spending habits apart of government waste? How much was it they were planning to spend on low boy toilets, chrome toilet paper dispensers and color splashing? Cha-ching! That’s one for Robert. How many new cars have they purchased from Fairview over the past 5 years? Cha-Ching! Yep, Bobby again.
At the half the score is Rogers Truth squad 2, Police Protectorate League 0
You should give credit where credit is due. Come now Scott, give it a try I’ll help you. Goood Jobbb Robert. See that didn’t hurt now did it.
All kidding aside, Robert does a fine job of balanced and fair reporting. It certainly would be easier for him to bury his head in the sand and ignore what is going on as so many before him have done. You might even consider buying him lunch but calling “his brand of journalism,” juvenile is unfair not to mention inaccurate. Juvenile journalism is what you find on CNN and Fox. It’s what we read within the pages of the Los Angeles Times and other rag sheets which keep us uninformed and in a constant state of panic. The truth is never juvenile, but I get a funny feeling you’re not nearly as interested in the truth so much as being Right…
Last but certainly not least I want to thank all the men and women in blue who wear the uniform proudly. Those who conduct themselves honorably while serving all of the residents of San Bernardino with equal vigor and without regard to geographic placement, economic status, racial or ethnic distinction, or even political affiliation or ideology, we salute you and your heroism. We appreciate your courage and commitment to upholding and enforcing the tenets of justice and the law.