Officers in Southeast Valley rake in OT
11 commentsJun. 1, 2008 02:21 PM
Associated Press

MESA - As cities and towns face growing budget deficits that have forced job cuts and other cost-saving measures, police officers in eastern metro Phoenix are raking in huge amounts of overtime pay, sometimes making more money annually than police chiefs.

The findings are the result of a review by the East Valley Tribune of the top 100 salaries of public officials in Mesa, Gilbert, Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler, Queen Creek and Apache Junction, and Maricopa and Pinal counties.

Rank-and-file officers in nearly every community made well over six-figure incomes, and in most cases, even those at the bottom of the top 100 lists made more than double than the average county worker.
Public officials say the high-paying salaries are necessary to attract and keep the best and brightest. Opponents of the practice criticize the incomes as a symbol of a government that has grown too large and wants its workers to be paid like CEOs.

In Gilbert, Apache Junction and Chandler, overtime pay pushed officers' income ahead of the police chiefs.

Almost three quarters of the Gilbert's highest paid employees last year worked in the police and fire departments. Two police sergeants, a lieutenant and a police officer made more money than Police Chief Tim Dorn, the town's 16th highest paid employee.

Town Manager George Pettit said officers generally work more overtime than other town employees, but that some of the overtime pay comes from outside employers who reimburse Gilbert for the officer's time.

In Chandler, officer Ronald Emary earned 155,045 last year, more than the $153,600 made by police Chief Sherry Kiyler.

City Manager Mark Pentz is looking to cut about $180,000 out of the police department's overtime budget to address the issue. Already, the department has been ordered to cut back the number of hours that its officers work traffic control at construction sites.

In Apache Junction, Cpl. Howard Logsdon's nearly $115,000 gross pay package last year was about $6,000 more than police Chief Glen Walp's.

Of the city's 100 highest paid employees, about 50 percent represent police department positions - a figure that didn't surprise interim police Chief Thomas Kelly.

"Instead of 40 hours, some folks are putting in 60 to 70 hours and are working instead of taking vacations," Kelly said.

He said it's hard for Apache Junction to remain competitive with neighboring cities such as Mesa, which is able to increase police salaries to recruit officers.

In Tempe, one officer in Tempe got nearly $90,000 in overtime last year in addition to his $78,000 base pay, making him the third highest-paid employees in the city and nearly as much as Police Chief Tom Ryff.

Overall, more than a dozen officers with the department made more than $25,000 each for working extended hours.

Both city and police officials said the high number of special events in Tempe are driving up the need for overtime, but city councilwoman Linda Spears questioned whether it's appropriate to have officers working so much.

"You don't want officers working so much that they become ineffective," she said. "So for me this becomes a public safety issue."

The council voted to allow the police department to fill more than 50 new positions to address the issue.

Scottsdale police and fire employees make up more than half of the top 100 highest-paid workers in their city, all of whom earn at least $100,000 a year.

The five police officers on the list got paid from $103,793 to $123,660, incomes nearing those of city judges, top administrators, the city prosecutor and an assistant fire chief.

Police Chief Alan Rodbell is the third-highest paid employee in the city at $165,806 a year.

More than 60 percent of Mesa's highest-paid employees are in the police and fire departments, some landing there because of overtime.

Mayor Keno Hawker said overtime is a big concern. "It's not something that will be eliminated, but we have to make sure people are not using overtime as part of their weekly wages," he said.

Mesa police plan to reduce their $800,000 in overtime costs in 2008-09. The overtime budget is currently at $3.8 million.

A list of Queen Creek's top 100 paid employees from 2007 reflects an effort to balance big city competition with small town means.

Unlike other cities and towns, only six employees in Queen Creek make $100,000 or more. And salaries at the bottom of the list are about $41,000 a year.

"It's still a very rural feel and that's been by design," said town Manager John Kross. "But our jobs are very similar to Mesa's jobs, Chandler's jobs, Gilbert's jobs. It's been a challenge to afford, within this competitive environment, paying the best, most qualified personnel."

Mark Spencer, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, the state's largest police union, said rank-and-file officers deserve to make more because they're the ones putting their lives on the line.

"Overtime is nothing more than extended risk," he said. "And they do deserve more. The chiefs aren't the ones risking their lives."

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