Reply With QuoteMayor Byron W. Brown insists the city is getting its money’s worth
Skyrocketing costs of OT for police, fire reflect a system of ever-rising reward
Paying top dollar for civic safety
Skyrocketing costs of OT for police, fire reflect a system of ever-rising reward
By Susan Schulman and Brian Meyer NEWS STAFF REPORTERS
Updated: 03/10/08 6:31 AM
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Derek Gee/Buffalo News
Intensified patrolling of Chippewa Entertainment District is among reasons that Police Department overtime is so sizable, connecting to a negotiated policy that awards extra work hours based on seniority and results in greater pension benefits.
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Database: Buffalo Police Department salaries and overtime for 2007
Database: Buffalo Fire Department salaries and overtime for 2007
Police Officer Patrick McDonald is a busy man.
He has been on the force for 41 years, and he still puts in a day’s work.
More than a day’s. McDonald works the equivalent of 12z hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year.
That means he made considerably more in overtime last year than most Buffalo officers made in overall pay. In fact, his overtime pay was more than some officers make overall in two years.
And when McDonald’s nearly $123,000 in overtime is added to his regular pay, he earned almost $190,000 in 2007 — believed to be a record for a Buffalo police officer.
McDonald declined to comment, and city officials declined to release details of McDonald’s overtime assignments. But sources say McDonald’s overtime reflects, in part, staying for a second shift to cover for absent officers; or working at special downtown events and details such as festivals and in the Chippewa Entertainment District.
Despite his long hours, McDonald rarely makes any arrests, but he does write a fair amount of traffic tickets, pulling cars over as he’s patrolling the streets, sources said.
Nonetheless, Mayor Byron W. Brown insists the city is getting its money’s worth from McDonald.
“Almost every time I go to something downtown, Pat McDonald is working,” the mayor said. “He’s not loafing. He’s not sitting around.”
The large amount of overtime McDonald earned last year reflects a negotiated policy that gives overtime based on seniority, allowing a small group of veteran officers in any district headquarters or squad to rack up hefty payments — often in the final years of their careers as a way of increasing their pensions.
But beyond that, McDonald’s unprecedented overtime occurred in a year when police and fire overtime pay skyrocketed to almost $14.5 million. Firefighters got $7.7 million of it, and police officers shared $6.7 million. The city budget office says the high overtime is continuing and is expected to come in $7 million over budget in the fiscal year that runs from July 2007 through June 2008.
Overtime is up, officials said, partly because of staff shortages in the Police and Fire departments, but also because of a policy that relies on overtime for special details such as a beefed-up police presence on the Chippewa strip.
Brown is supportive
Many other police officers who collected significant overtime, Brown said, work in the Homicide and Narcotics units, the Mobile Response Unit and other special details.
“When we see the need to initiate special units to fight crime, we don’t feel the need to apologize for overtime,” Brown said. “We have supervisors who manage the work. We have tried to control unnecessary overtime and have put those management systems in place.”
Police say that it is partly because of overtime that homicide cases boast their best clearance rate in years and narcotics detectives are more active, executing more search warrants and making more drug busts. In fact, arrests throughout the department have increased as overtime has become more available, police say.
Whatever the case, the overtime is a windfall to police and firefighters whose base pay was frozen by the state control board for more than three years as a way to help restore fiscal stability in a city beset with poverty. The wage freeze was lifted last summer.
Overall, about 70 police and 30 firefighters earned more than $100,000 in 2007, thanks largely to hefty overtime payments.
More than 200 officers and firefighters earned more than $90,000, in excess of 300 made more than $80,000.
Firefighters get overtime in a weighted system that, while seniority-based, allows the money to be shared throughout the department, whether members are new hires or veteran firefighters.
That’s not to say that there aren’t some firefighters racking up a lot of OT.
One captain, for example, earned more than $100,000 in overtime last year, bringing his pay to more than $174,000. A battalion chief with more than $88,000 in overtime earned almost $164,000.
But no one made more overtime last year than Patrick McDonald, a 41-year veteran police officer who works in Central District, which covers much of the downtown area.
OT enhances pensions
Buffalo police work 2,080 hours a year, the equivalent of a 40-hour work week. As a police officer, McDonald earns a base salary of almost $60,000, or about $28 an hour. Overtime pays about $49 an hour.
McDonald worked 4,684 hours in 2007 to earn his $189,457 paycheck, according to records released by the Police Department. Included in that are 2,482 hours of overtime, worth $122,774.
McDonald worked an average of 185 hours every two weeks — the equivalent of 12.5 hours a day, every day of the year — the city records show.
McDonald, who works a 6 a.m.-to-4 p.m. shift, generally works an extra four hours in overtime daily and also works on his days off, according to Central District sources.
Last year, McDonald worked 363 days, the sources said.
He gobbled up so much of the overtime offered that the officer receiving the second-highest amount of overtime in the department got $50,000 less than McDonald.
McDonald takes over the title of highest-paid police officer from Detective Sgt. Patrick C. Murphy, who earned $157,451 — including $66,351 in overtime — in 2006. Murphy, with the department’s Crime Scene Unit, was also the highest-paid in 2005, when he earned $137,917, with $60,489 in overtime, records show.
During those years, McDonald earned $119,608, with $51,796 on overtime, in 2006 and $87,717, with $11,176.13 in overtime, in 2005.
Murphy retired in 2007 and qualified for a pension based on his overtime-inflated salary.
It is not known whether McDonald is planning to retire anytime soon, although he is among the oldest officers on the force. Only three others have been with the department longer than McDonald, who joined in 1966, records show.
If McDonald does retire, his pension would be based either on his final-year salary or the average of his three highest consecutive years, whichever is higher. However, the salary amount included in pension calculations for any year is capped at 20 percent above the prior year’s salary.
When asked about the fact that boosting overtime in the final years of a career can pump up a pension, Brown said he won’t “ascribe any motives” to police officers working overtime, except to acknowledge the obvious — people generally work overtime to make more money.
“But for some, it might also be driven by a desire to make a greater contribution to their community,” Brown added.
Staff shortages blamed
Police union President Robert P. Meegan Jr. said that officers who are making substantial overtime earn every penny.
McDonald works so hard, Meegan said, that he wonders whether the officer “even recognizes anyone in his family.”
“This isn’t a free lunch by any stretch of the imagination,” the PBA president said. “These officers are putting in the time and are away from their families.”
Meegan said there are currently at least 200 fewer officers on the streets now than there were several years ago. Back in 2003, there were nearly 900 uniformed officers. Currently, there are 792, but this includes nearly 80 new recruits who won’t leave the training academy until this summer.
“We don’t have appropriate manpower levels, and that’s something the police commissioner and the mayor recognize,” Meegan said.
Fire union President Joseph E. Foley also blamed the escalating overtime on a staff shortage, noting that the city hasn’t hired new firefighters in seven years. The city will be hiring new recruits later this year.
“Right now, a lot of the guys are wearing thin with the overtime and would prefer to see some people hired,” Foley said, adding that filling vacancies would also improve safety.
The city plans to hire more police officers and firefighters later this year. Brown thinks the new hires will help reduce overtime.
Buffalo’s state-appointed financial control board has been keeping a close eye on overtime, said board analyst Bryce Link. Paul J. Kolkmeyer, chairman of the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority, declined to comment on The Buffalo News’ analysis of overtime trends. But the control board is scheduled to discuss overtime issues during its next meeting March 31.
News Staff Reporter Vanessa Thomas contributed to this report.
Mayor Byron W. Brown insists the city is getting its money’s worth
There are people who will work (well, at least be present) for 12 hour shifts for the money, I know many.
Buffalo needs a comprehensive plan that addresses cause and effect issues. If Buffalo were to divert more money into programs proven to rehabilitate troubled youths and jail those who refuse; eventually this would lead to reduced crime thereby reducing O/T.
I do not begrudge those that are working tons of hours for the extra money, but off the top of my head here are some ideas I could think of to save the city some cash.
-Put the reserves on the streets for foot patrol/crime suppression in "target areas." If it is important enough to attract the attention of the Mobile Response Unit then why not have trained, armed volunteers on the ground (instead of driving around in cars) to discourage illegal activity?
-Use reserves to direct traffic or do crowd control at major concerts/events. How much overtime is consumed by police doing security at concerts or games at the arena downtown? Couldn't the same thing be done at a much lower cost with a squad of trained volunteers supervised by a few officers?
It seems this same type of story is reported year after year (i.e. exorbitant OT pay for police/fire esp right before retirement) and nothing ever changes.
I don't doubt the police/fire work hard for the OT, just like you and I work hard at our jobs. I realize this is an reward system for long tenured employees and allows for an even higher retirement pay that you and I pay for, but this never ending excessive policy is just wrong.
You are right about it never changing. In my job overtime counts towards retirement too. But the Congress built protocols into the law which prohibits officers within three years of retirement from padding their earnings.
For example, half of the statuatory overtime cap counts towards retirement. Officers who earn that or more each year can earn it right up to the day they retire. But if you have an officer who earns, say, the minimum, $5K on average over his career. He cannot then spike his earnings the last three years (federal retirement is based on the high three of earnings). He will be restricted to that $5,000.
That and our overtime is offered to lowest earner first. The high earners still get paid, since the low earners usually "just say no,"
That said, overtime isn't free. All of the time I spend working OT is time spent away from my family. Missed birthday parties, ball games, plays. Missed Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.
It all counts...
b.b.
$190,000 a year ticket writer."And when McDonald’s nearly $123,000 in overtime is added to his regular pay, he earned almost $190,000 in 2007..."
"Despite his long hours, McDonald rarely makes any arrests, but he does write a fair amount of traffic tickets, pulling cars over as he’s patrolling the streets, sources said."
And deerhumper is always crying that state troopers make so much more then Buffalo cops and all they do is write tickets. Pot, kettle, blue.
The difference between taxes and robbery is the mode of coercion.
Originally Posted by bornandraised
Good point...."If you always do, what you always did, then you always get what you always got."
If we as a people of Buffalo and burbs are going to make better lives for ourselves, then we need to shed ourselves of the self-interests groups who only seek to fund their pockets with public money.
That guy worked 363 days last year. Most of them 15 hour days. He's greedy no doubt about it. Dont blame him though, the city refused to hire cops for a long time therefore needing people to work OT to fill minimum manpower. His base is way lower than a trooper though.
And dont forget...when the city loses its appeal you can add 10.2% to that bringing him well over 200k.
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face" - Mike Tyson
Can't fault the Cops working, the City didn't hire for 7 yrs. If he retires the money will probably be spread out to others in the district. Spots still have to be filled. As a Tier 2, our earnings are capped as well. Only 20% over the prior yr can be applied toward your pension. And it is a 36 month average that determines your fas. Final Average Salary. If we do win, again, it will be 8.5% retro to July of 07'. They gave us the 3.4% anticipating the initial loss. Many say it is cheaper to pay OT than hire, so it may be saving the City money.
Questions for the cops here.
How many of you choose to work this overtime and does working 12+ hrs a day effect your job performance?
You would think after working so much day in & day out you would become quite exhausted your personal time would become almost non existent. Your life would consist of work/sleep and nothing else. No time for family your kids etc... Or you simply don't sleep and are only 1/2 awake on the job. Contributing to criminals getting away, crime scenes gone through less through ally, mistakes being made, officers getting injured and turning more reactive then proactive in catching and solving crime. Officers seeing petty crime and quality of life issues happening but not bothering to do anything about it because it's not worth their effort and they are simply to exhausted physically and mentally.
I’m sure more officers are responding to felony crimes because it takes more of them to get the job done, not because they are overstaffed While allowing other crimes to occur.
How much of a typical officers day is spent responding to radio calls VS. actual patrol?
Special events is one with me and why is it that and other resources cannot be utilized for these events?
Weather it be reserves, peace officers or just a private company communicating and working with the local police doing traffic detail directing traffic, shuffling crowds at HSBC events, concerts, public gatherings, etc…???
Now Chippewa and downtown nightlife is a biggie and another thread in itself.
I'm not saying the cops aren’t doing their jobs because I’m sure the majority are doing the best they can under their directive and orders from above. As well as their limited physical and mental strength of being human. The problem is much deeper.
Incresing thier pay alone isnt going to solve anything. Hiring more officers would.
Last edited by GG716; March 11th, 2008 at 09:03 AM.
he worked almost every day of the year. We can't work more than 15 hrs in a day, so on days he was scheduled to work the regular 10 hr shift, then 1/2 the next (5 hrs) He worked his days off, through his vacations, etc. The B district was short on manpower because of poor City planning. (not hiring in 7 yrs) Again, though, with the cost of health care some say it is cheaper to hire OT , than hire another body.
As far as his ability to perform, I worked with him and never saw fatigue as a problem with the guy. When he was home, he must have slept. He'll probably retire in the near future. I wish him well, he earned every cent of the money he made.
There won't be as much OT in the future as the City just hired 12 former Housing Officers, and there is another 78 in the academy. Not that it will eliminate OT, or that it is any cheaper for the City because hiring those has a 10 million dollar price tag, whereas the OT paid out was around 8 million.
BS!
Look there is nothing wrong with the guy working the system. He is playing by the rules. If you want it to change, change the rules.
However, do not try and float this guy was effective. People are smarter then that. He had low arrests yet he worked the most hours. THAT IS NOT EFFECTIVE.
The guy gammed the system and made close to 190k writing mostly tickets and doing traffic. Out in Amherst or the other areas you say do not see the issues BPD faces, that would be one thing. But for you in on breath to say that Buffalo is harsh and so tough to work and then in another say a guy is "effective" in mostly writing tickets is double talk.
The guy earned his pay in terms of working like a dog and being away from family and friends for so long. But to say he was able to perform the full spectrum of duties and actually doing the full spectrum of duties are two separate things. We all know this.
Nice PR from a PBA guy....
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You can be a great Cop and never make an arrest. You simply offer up the arrest to the other Cop assigned to the call, who will take the arrest. It is that simple. Not knowing this would make one believe he just writes tickets. Some guys don't write any tickets. He makes up for them. Don't believe everything you read in a News article. That is a mistake. And don't think that you know everything either, another mistake.
Come on!
You can't sit there on one side and say the large amounts of time off cops get is needed because of the job and to be effective and then say you can be effective with little to no time off.
You can't sit there on one side and say how hard the job is and that you are effective and then say someone who does not have the same results, in terms of results is just as effective.
The guy worked the system fair and square. Nothing wrong with what he did on his end. He spent time away from his personal life, which is not healthy at all. The system sucks but he played the game and won.
But in doing this, it is obvious he was not as effective as a cop who was in the sh*t day in and day out. He was paid almost $200k to do traffic. That is not a good ROI. But it is what it is.
I have never been a cop but I know how hard it is. Wife and child beaters, dealing with useless people, drug addicts, dead children and auto fatalities and those are just the things cops have told me. We all know there is more crap you see that you do not share because of how ugly it really is.
I know of and respect the stuff cops go through. It is a hard job. Traffic and parking tickets is not as hard. It is the coast of the job if you will. Every job has coasting moments. You have to have them. Nobody can go full speed that many hours.
It is impossible to really go 100% for that many hours and be effective. You and I both know it.
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