What Really goes on With Regards to Police Salaries

First, let me make clear that this unsigned letter I’m about to quote from came from an ex-wife, and that she is dropping a dime on her first husband.

Her ex is, or was, a state trooper on the Turnpike, and she says she wanted me to know just how good he has or had it on the job.

I understand that being a cop can be a dirty, dangerous job. But overall being a state trooper is a very good job indeed, especially when you compare it to what’s happening out here in the Dreaded Private Sector. Let’s go to the letter, which she starts by telling me how much her ex-husband the trooper enjoyed my columns.

“I can honestly tell you that he used to laugh and make fun of your articles.”

How dare he!

“I do not write you to be vindictive, but to enlighten you some on what really goes on with regards to the salaries.”

His base salary, she says, was $60,000 (I think it’s higher now), but he never made less than 180K and once got over $200,000.

“He had a master’s degree, which afforded him an extra 25 percent on top of his regular salary; he was paid $20-a-day tax-free to drive his own car back and forth to work, a perk I understand has been changed; he was paid extra money for passing a physical.”

Much of this is well-known. Here are the MSP payroll numbers from 2007: With overtime, 1,376 of 2,983 staties made more than $100,000. One lieutenant made $206,000 last year, $115,000 above his base pay.

“At the end of each shift (his was 7-3), the Turnpike would have one officer from each station running radar at time-and-a-half under the pretense of keeping the road safe. What a joke.”

He was home for dinner every night by 5:30, she said.

“He would always say that no one cared what time they left, as long as they wrote a certain amount of tickets and that the times on the tickets indicated that they actually worked the 4 hours.”

So how did he get home every afternoon at 5:30?

“He said that he would put the actual time of the ticket on the one he gave to the offender, but the one he submitted with his overtime card would have a later time on it so that it looked like he actually worked 4 hours. This went on for years, Howie.”

Then, of course, there were the paid details.

“My former husband used to sleep half the day because, as he would say, no one ever checks on us, and the construction people don’t care as long as the cruiser is there with the lights flashing - $40 per hour to sleep, not a bad deal, Howie.”

Another mammary: court duty. It was almost as easy as being a judge.

“He would be home every day by noon. If he was assigned a radar detail, he’d go back in at 3:30 and be home again by 5:30, earning $160 for his efforts.”

And finally, filling in on the weekends for “sick” troopers.

“I can remember him saying on weekends, ‘No hon, we can’t make plans today because so-and-so is calling in sick, and I’m next on the OT list to be called.’ And sure enough, he would get the call and go in and make 8 hours overtime. Those were the only times he ever did stay for his entire shift.”

I faxed this anonymous letter to the state police, and they confirmed all the contractual stuff - the Quinn bill payraises, the now-ended driving-to-work perk, etc. The state police spokesman said:

“If this guy did this, shame on him, and if there are others who are doing this, shame on them, because they’re a small minority of more than 2,000 state troopers . . . If there were a name attached to this, I can promise you he would be disciplined.”

Your move, Mrs. Statie. I’d be happy to pass on your ex-husband’s name.