JHU study reviews Baltimore police officer pay
21st Century Cities Initiative studies public sector pay, overtime costs
21st Century Cities Initiative studies public sector pay, overtime costs
21st Century Cities Initiative studies public sector pay, overtime costs
A new report shows a Baltimore police officer's median pay is as high as that of a New York City police officer thanks in large part to overtime pay.
The report completed by the 21st Century Cities Initiative at Johns Hopkins University was sparked, its authors said, by a story about who leads the list of highest-paid city employees year after year.
Last year, Baltimore police Sgt. Ethan Newberg finished at the top of the list of highest-paid city employees. He is now suspended after being charged with assault of a man during an arrest. His take-home pay in fiscal year 2019 was $260,775. More than half of that -- $152,968 -- came from overtime.
Mac McComas co-authored a study of public sector pay recently released by the 21st Century Cities Initiative.
"From 2011 to 2018, the median total pay for a Baltimore police employee rose by 60%," McComas said.
One of the study's findings was that the median pay of a Baltimore police employee, $95,166, is almost the same as that of a New York City police employee, whose median pay is $95,473.
"It's pretty striking," McComas said.
The report comes as Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison is putting new controls on overtime spending. Harrison told the 11 News I-Team last week that the department is tracking who's earning overtime and for what.
"That the overtime is being used for crime suppression and/or manpower shortages in a smart deployment strategy and not just because they want to fill a vacant position without a deployment strategy," Harrison said Nov. 6.
A staffing study of the Baltimore Police Department is also underway.
The 21st Century Cities Initiative study adds new information to how many more officers may be needed and how much should they be paid.
"I think one of the things you have to look at is the issue of staffing. Is overtime the way to deal with staff shortages? Or do you increase the expected salary?" McComas said.
The 21st Century Cities Initiative study also found an overall gender pay gap in the city workforce, with women earning 80 cents on the dollar compared to men.
