Police dominate list of top earners in Schenectady

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

Schenectady Police Sgt. Jeff McCutcheon responds to an alarm activation at Trustco Bank on State Street on Thursday, July 9, 2015. McCutcheon was the city's top earner for the year.

Police officers again top the list of highest earners among city employees because of overtime, which Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett attributes to several factors.

Eight of the top 10 earners in Schenectady in 2015 were police officers, with overtime exceeding several officers’ base pay. Bennett defended the overtime numbers, saying the factors leading to overtime are out of their control.

Bennett said officers volunteer to work overtime when there is an increase in criminal activity, major incidents and illness and injuries among other officers. He said the department also is unable to maintain full staffing levels because of retirements and police academy dropouts.

Schenectady’s Top 10

The top 10 earners among city employees in 2015, according to documents obtained by The Daily Gazette. The numbers do not include additional pay, such as longevity and holidays. The first number below represents total pay; the second and third numbers are base pay and overtime, respectively.

1. Sgt. Jeff McCutcheon: $174,021 ($75,537, $88,659)

2. Lt. Mark McCracken: $168,649 ($84,121, $72,152)

3. Officer Peter Mullen: $157,107 ($68,673, $81,000)

4. Officer Edward Ritz: $155,144 ($69,033, $73,907)

5. Lt. Eric Clifford: $152,493 ($84,121, $47,897)

6. Officer Jeremy Pace: $150,843 ($69,702, $72,500)

7. Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett: $143,650 ($127,247, $0)

8. Fire Chief Ray Senecal: $141,735 ($140,535, $750)

9. K-9 Officer Sean Clifford: $136,120 ($68,673, $55,453)

10. K-9 Officer Jason Slingerland: $135,184 ($68,673, $57,997)

“Those officers’ overtime is so high because other people do not volunteer to work the overtime,” Bennett said. “So you have to choose from the volunteers. The big unknown is that we always respond to need, and sometimes it’s overwhelming.”

Sgt. Jeff McCutcheon, an officer with the department for eight years, was the highest city earner in 2015, making $88,659 in overtime, more than his $75,537 salary, for a total paycheck of $174,021.

Behind McCutcheon is Lt. Mark McCracken, the police department’s spokesman, who earned a total of $168,649 last year, with a base pay of $84,121 and an additional $72,152 in overtime.

In the third spot is Officer Peter Mullen, president of the Schenectady Police Benevolent Association. He earned $157,107 in 2015, with a $68,673 salary and $81,000 in overtime.

Bennett said McCutcheon’s overtime is as a patrol officer and not as a sergeant.

“He is one of the finest officers, and so is McCracken,” Bennett said.

Some of the police officers’ total pay includes longevity and working holidays but is not reflected in the chart with this story.

Bennett said the department is always looking to hire more police officers. He noted that of the 11 recruits sworn in six months ago, three did not join the department.

The eight officers who ultimately joined the department graduated from the Zone 5 Law Enforcement Training Academy last week. Five additional people were sworn in as officers on Tuesday.

“We started out with 11 and then three dropped out,” Bennett said. “Now we don’t have enough time to do background investigations on new candidates in time to have them ready for the academy. Civil service gives us a certain number of names, and we have to exhaust that. There are a lot of issues that contribute.”

The department has 148 officers, including the new recruits. Bennett said the department is budgeted for 154 officers.

“We’re the recipients of the conditions that create this overtime,” Bennett said. “If we can just once fill the academy up and get what the budget has money for, that would be wonderful.”

Bennett said there is no limit on the number of overtime hours for police officers.

“It’s up to them and it’s up to us,” he said. “We keep an eye on them, such as if fatigue is an issue. They don’t want to get out there and be hurt because they’re tired.”

Bennett, former superintendent of the New York State Police, was the seventh-highest earner with a total salary of $143,650. Half of his salary comes from the Police Department budget and the other half from the Fire Department budget.

In 2015, police officers received a total of $85,411 in overtime due to work related to the Jay Street fire in March, according to Bennett. He also noted $71,000 in overtime for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative and $12,000 for The Daily Gazette’s holiday parade.

The 2015 city budget included $17,394,454 for the Police Department, with $1,175,000 set aside for field service overtime and $510,000 for investigation overtime.

This year’s budget includes $18,010,300 for the Police Department, with $1,500,000 in field service overtime and $600,000 for police investigation overtime.

Overall, 83 city employees made more than $100,000 in 2015. The median household income for a resident in the city of Schenectady is $38,916, according to 2014 data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Mayor Gary McCarthy’s salary was $99,700 last year, up from his base of $96,700 after taking an insurance buyout of $3,000.

Click here for top earners in 2014.

Reach Gazette reporter Haley Viccaro at 395-3114, [email protected] or @HRViccaro on Twitter.