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Boston police among highest paid in nation

wdlove

wdlove

macrumors P6
Original poster
Oct 20, 2002
16,568
0
With high base salaries, opportunities to work lucrative construction details, and one of the nation's most generous overtime programs, Boston's rank-and-file police officers brought home $78,906 on average in 2002, and those who earned higher-education degrees made considerably more. The full compensation package makes Boston officers among the best-paid big-city cops in the nation, according to information compiled by the Globe.

Base pay for Boston patrolmen is similar to that in other big departments around the country -- about $53,426 annually. But Boston officers supplement their salaries with more overtime on average than officers in nine of the nation's 10 largest police departments; only New York City's $16,000 per officer topped Boston's $8,520 in 2002, the most recent year for which data are widely available.

On top of that, Boston police can take advantage of two Massachusetts programs that swell their salaries even further. The state mandates that construction sites that affect traffic flow have a police officer present, and the Quinn Bill is the most generous police-education incentive program in the nation.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/03/29/boston_police_among_highest_paid_in_nation/
 
R

ryme4reson

macrumors 6502
Mar 5, 2002
259
0
Cupertino CA
Big City Cops

I live in the Bay Area, and most of are agencies make around 100K for police officers. I am a 911 dispatcher for a small city, and I will earn about 85K this year with about 6 hours Over Time a week. Not to shabby considering the penision plan that the city pays for as well.

Dispatchers
2.75% * years worked = % of top year salary at 55 years old for life
Cops
3% * years worled = % of top year salary at 50 years old for life.

Also, one can buy back 5 years of retirement years. So if I work 25 years, I buy 5 years back, I can retire with 82.5% of my salary. Not bad without contributing a penny for retirement.

James
 
Dippo

Dippo

macrumors 65816
Sep 27, 2003
1,044
1
Charlotte, NC
ryme4reson said:
I live in the Bay Area, and most of are agencies make around 100K for police officers. I am a 911 dispatcher for a small city, and I will earn about 85K this year with about 6 hours Over Time a week. Not to shabby considering the penision plan that the city pays for as well.

Dispatchers
2.75% * years worked = % of top year salary at 55 years old for life
Cops
3% * years worled = % of top year salary at 50 years old for life.

Also, one can buy back 5 years of retirement years. So if I work 25 years, I buy 5 years back, I can retire with 82.5% of my salary. Not bad without contributing a penny for retirement.

James
Click to expand...


Wow, what's the cost of living over there?

I know that starting police salary over here is between 25K-30K. That doesn't include overtime, etc.
 
R

ryme4reson

macrumors 6502
Mar 5, 2002
259
0
Cupertino CA
Cost of Living

Well the bay area is pretty high, but I live at home with my mom :D i do have to fund my 457 plan for retirement, and pay for my Mercedes. I do plan to buy a house, and that is really hard on my income, and a 2 income house makes it much easier. that being said, most of my people at my PD have houses, and I was in the military so I can get a Cal VET loan with real good rates..

The base salary is about 63000, but the OT is where you make the money, and I chose to work about 6 hours a week.
 
Dippo

Dippo

macrumors 65816
Sep 27, 2003
1,044
1
Charlotte, NC
ryme4reson said:
The base salary is about 63000, but the OT is where you make the money, and I chose to work about 6 hours a week.
Click to expand...

Why do they let you work overtime? Don't they know that they would save lots of money by not allowing this?

I would assume that there is just not enough trained police...

Also, does that mean you could work more than 46 hours a week if you wanted?
 
R

ryme4reson

macrumors 6502
Mar 5, 2002
259
0
Cupertino CA
Well First off I am a dispathcer, and not a police officer. Here are a couple of reasons why we can work so much OT

1. To get a person hired takes 6-8 months, plus another 6 months training. Most people cannot pass the background and polygraph, so we are usually understaffed. we are staffed for 6 and have 4 right now.

2. we work 12 hour shifts, 3 days one week, and 4 days the next. this gives up 4 hours built in OT ever two weeks. So right off the bat we have 8hours OT every month.

3. We have an 8 hour OT shift every Fri and Sat night. I try to work 2 OT shifts a month, and thats 20HOURS a month. additionally, if someone is sick or requests time off, then a free 12 hour shifts come avail.

4. because we are understaffed we have to fill the vacation and sick time slots, so OT opportunities are abundant.

5. any mandatory meeting that is scheduled on our off duty time is a mandatory 4 hours. I have come in for a meeting that has lasted 15 mins, and I get 4 hours OT.

I like to pay my 13000 in tax deferred retirement savings at the beginning of the year, so I tend to work as much OT as possible at the beginning of the year. (I save my base salary and live off my OT, and GI BIll money.)

Here is the Ot I have earned per pay period this year
16,16,8,13,24,23.5,14.

The most OT I have worked in a 2 week period is 55 hours. 3 days on, 1 day off.

The great thing about a 12 hour shift is the amount of day you work in a month. For March with 31 days, I work normally 15 days. Even if I pick up 5 days OT, which is 5*12 + 8 built in = 60 hours OT, I still have 10 days off in the month, which is more than most people.
 
Koodauw

Koodauw

macrumors 68040
Nov 17, 2003
3,951
190
Madison
Thank goodness for Boston Police. Who would we have to arrest the Yankees team members when the get into a scrum in the bullpen without them? If you can't beat them...arrest them!
 
Z

zamyatin

macrumors regular
Jul 15, 2003
137
0
NYC
ryme4reson said:
Well First off I am a dispathcer, and not a police officer. Here are a couple of reasons why we can work so much OT

1. To get a person hired takes 6-8 months, plus another 6 months training. Most people cannot pass the background and polygraph, so we are usually understaffed. we are staffed for 6 and have 4 right now.

2. we work 12 hour shifts, 3 days one week, and 4 days the next. this gives up 4 hours built in OT ever two weeks. So right off the bat we have 8hours OT every month.

3. We have an 8 hour OT shift every Fri and Sat night. I try to work 2 OT shifts a month, and thats 20HOURS a month. additionally, if someone is sick or requests time off, then a free 12 hour shifts come avail.

4. because we are understaffed we have to fill the vacation and sick time slots, so OT opportunities are abundant.

5. any mandatory meeting that is scheduled on our off duty time is a mandatory 4 hours. I have come in for a meeting that has lasted 15 mins, and I get 4 hours OT.

I like to pay my 13000 in tax deferred retirement savings at the beginning of the year, so I tend to work as much OT as possible at the beginning of the year. (I save my base salary and live off my OT, and GI BIll money.)

Here is the Ot I have earned per pay period this year
16,16,8,13,24,23.5,14.

The most OT I have worked in a 2 week period is 55 hours. 3 days on, 1 day off.

The great thing about a 12 hour shift is the amount of day you work in a month. For March with 31 days, I work normally 15 days. Even if I pick up 5 days OT, which is 5*12 + 8 built in = 60 hours OT, I still have 10 days off in the month, which is more than most people.
Click to expand...

Sign me up, my good man! I can do whatever it takes. By the way, any free rooms in your mom's place?
 
5300cs

5300cs

macrumors 68000
Nov 24, 2002
1,862
0
japan
The Boston police would actually have to get off their fat @sses first, most of 'em sit around drinking coffee and scarfing donuts. Almost as bad as the Brookline police :mad:
 
wdlove

wdlove

macrumors P6
Original poster
Oct 20, 2002
16,568
0
Dippo said:
Why do they let you work overtime? Don't they know that they would save lots of money by not allowing this?

I would assume that there is just not enough trained police...

Also, does that mean you could work more than 46 hours a week if you wanted?
Click to expand...

I really appreciate our Boston Police department. When I have the opportunity, I walk up to them and say thank you. They deserve the salary that they earn.

I'm not so sure that the Quinn Bill is appropriate. An education should be used for the improvement of the department. It should assist in promotions, not just money because of the education.

I also think that the overtime is a problem. At the construction sites, they could use trained personnel. Many times all they do is stand there.
 
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