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As Berkeley struggles with police costs and rethinking policing, 14 cops made over $300,000. ( California )
Center Square ^ | November 13, 2022 - | Tom Gantert

Posted on 11/14/2022 4:43:57 AM PST by george76

Fourteen of the 17 city employees who made $300,000 or more in 2021 worked in the police department.

...

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin extolled the city's efforts to rethink policing by ending police traffic stops for non-safety reasons and getting written consent from motorists a vehicle search in February 2021.

"Too much of our city’s budget is spent on policing, and many of the duties we’ve assigned to officers do not require a response from someone with a badge and a gun," Arreguin said in a news release.

Police officers in Berkeley are some the highest-paid employees in the city. In 2021, a police sergeant made $353,259, which included $143,219 in overtime. That made the sergeant the highest-paid employee in the city. The city manager made $312,672 that year.

Fourteen of the 17 city employees who made $300,000 or more in 2021 worked in the police department. The city stated it spent $243,023 per police position in 2022.

Overall, the city spent $132.5 million on public safety, which includes the police and fire departments, in 2021. Public safety accounted for 37% of all city expenditures, according to Berkeley's 2021 audited budget.

Overtime was a major factor in the high police salaries. Thirty-six police department employees made $50,000 or more in overtime in 2021.

The city stated in its audited budget, "Public Safety was over budget by $9.5 million due to overspending of Police and Fire overtime budgets. This was related to staffing shortages forcing mandatory overtime, and due to mutual aid requests."

The Berkeley police department and City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley did not respond to emails seeking comment.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: arreguin; berkeley; california

1 posted on 11/14/2022 4:43:57 AM PST by george76
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To: george76

If the city requires their officers to live within the city limits of Berkley, then $300K is lower middle income and with it you can afford a 2 bedroom 1200 sq. ft. bungalow.


2 posted on 11/14/2022 4:46:10 AM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /Sarc tag really necessary? Pray for President Biden: Psalm 109:8)
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To: george76

I thought only Miami cops made that kind of cash.


3 posted on 11/14/2022 4:56:54 AM PST by momincombatboots (QEphesians 6... who you are really at war with)
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To: george76
"Public Safety was over budget by $9.5 million due to overspending of Police and Fire overtime budgets."

Well, maybe the people of Berkeley should stop being such lawless, stinking rats and try to get a little morality in their lives.....maybe.

4 posted on 11/14/2022 5:14:57 AM PST by unread ("It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required." W. Churchill.)
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To: Yo-Yo

It’s not just the yearly 300k expense, all this overtime is used in calculating the pension these people will make.

I read somewhere the pension for cops can be nearly 80-90% of their highest yearly wage, meaning someone could retire int their mid-50s at $240-270k per year for the rest of their lives.

It’s hard to see how that is sustainable over a period of years.


5 posted on 11/14/2022 5:29:55 AM PST by srmanuel (I)
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To: unread

Why can’t they just put up signs that say. Criminals not allowed here.


6 posted on 11/14/2022 5:30:11 AM PST by oldasrocks
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To: srmanuel

My boss in police work saved everything for his pension.

He never took a sick day in 30 years, and accrued overtime pay, holiday pay, and “adminitraive” pay. His pension may have been calculated to $1M. A day after retirement, he died of a heart attack on a jogging path. His widow collected the pension instead.


7 posted on 11/14/2022 6:07:24 AM PST by Does so (It's not our guns...It's your SONS!)
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To: george76

You can thank the unions for these pay scales. Dems LOVES unions, so I’m not sure what the problem is. These are just high-paying union jobs. Dems love that.


8 posted on 11/14/2022 6:10:33 AM PST by thefactor
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To: george76

The way the title is worded, I thought the 14 cops combined made $300,000.


9 posted on 11/14/2022 6:17:29 AM PST by LouAvul (Daniel 4:17: "..the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.." )
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To: george76

The Leftist dump of Berkeley would need fewer cops if the anti-Constitution bureaucrats would stop denying the citizens their inalienable right to keep and bear arms.


10 posted on 11/14/2022 6:38:03 AM PST by T.B. Yoits
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To: george76

Just out of curiosity, how much do trash haulers make, if they work for the city?


11 posted on 11/14/2022 7:34:07 AM PST by Cincinnatus.45-70 (What do DemocRats enjoy more than a truckload of dead babies? Unloading them with a pitchfork!)
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To: george76

A police officer drives around in a city owned car.

UNDER NO EXISTING ACCOUNTING STANDARDS can anyone call the cost of that vehicle-—pay for the cop.

Same for a firefighter or EMT.

WILL they also tag the income of a park maintenance person with the cost of maintaining the park???

THIS IS NUTS.


12 posted on 11/14/2022 8:06:43 AM PST by ridesthemiles
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To: srmanuel
It’s hard to see how that is sustainable over a period of years.

It's not, which is why this kind of crap only exists for government employees. Cops and firemen are some of the biggest abusers of this. Also, in many places, 80%+ of cops retire with "disabilities". Cops sure know a good scam when they see one eh?

13 posted on 11/14/2022 8:07:17 AM PST by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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To: zeugma

This doesn’t apply to all cops but it’s clear why a large percentage support the Democrats and will aggressively enforce any Unconstitutional law they might enact, who would want to give up that type of retirement system.

Cops and firefighters deserve a good pension, but what I’ve read is more like what Congress gets instead of what the average person gets.


14 posted on 11/14/2022 8:12:21 AM PST by srmanuel (I)
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To: srmanuel
Cops and firefighters deserve a good pension, but what I’ve read is more like what Congress gets instead of what the average person gets.

There is a huge difference between a 'good pension' and what is actually going on, especially with all of the 'disability' fraud.

I don't think they deserve any more pension than your average joe, especially since (from what I understand) they don't actually contribute anything to it, unlike what I do for my 401k.

15 posted on 11/14/2022 9:15:49 AM PST by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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