What Do Rhode Island’s Top Cops Make?
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Police Chiefs in cities and towns across Rhode Island will average just under $88,000 in salary in 2011 with five communities paying their tops cops more than $100,000, according to the 2011 salary survey on municipal employees conducted by the Rhode Island Department of Revenue.
Providence acting Police Chief Hugh Clements tops the list at $124,907, with new Coventry Chief Bryan Volpe ($124,861), Warwick Chief Stephen M. McCartney ($117,938), Cranston Chief Marco Palombo Jr. ($ 111,574) and Portsmouth Chief Lance E. Hebert ($102,181) rounding out the top five.
At the lower end of the spectrum, a dozen cities and towns will pay out less than $80,000 in salary while the Chiefs in Cumberland, Glocester, West Greenwich, New Shoreham, Foster and Richmond will make salaries below $75,000.
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While it is no surprise that the capital city would have the highest paid Police Chief, some of the other top cops along the urban corridor fall behind when it compared to the salaries of their suburban counterparts. West Warwick, Woonsocket and Central Falls, whose Chief was recently let go but State Receiver Judge Robert Flanders, all pay their Chiefs less than the state average.
In comparison, when Newport hires its next Chief, the three leaders on Aquidneck Island will be among the highest paid Chiefs in the state. Newport’s veteran Chief Michael McKenna stepped down in June, just days after the Fire Chief Harry Hallgring Jr. retired. McKenna’s 2010 salary was $111,635.
In Middletown, Police Chief Anthony Pesare will make $95,411 in 2011.
Major Pay Cut: Providence
At the same time, in Providence, Clements is taking a pay cut of more than $50,000 when compared with his predecessor Col. Dean Esserman. In 2010, Esserman made $179,760. At the same time, the city was contributing $1,000 per year into a tax free investment account, which Council Finance Committee Chairman John Igliozzi likened to a second pension early this year. Esserman voluntarily gave up that benefit months before he resigned.
“Esserman didn’t volunteer to take it out. It was done by the council leadership and myself saying, ‘Hey, you know, enough is enough and we’re not obligated to pay that second pension anymore,’” Igliozzi said at the time. “He was kicking and screaming for the additional funds.”
Clements took over as acting Chief in late June after Esserman abruptly resigned following an underage drinking party that took place at his East Side home. Clements, along with more than a dozen other applicants, has applied for the full-time position, which Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare hopes to have filled by the new year.
$30k Raise
Unlike in Providence, Volpe, Coventry’s new Chief, earned a pay increase of more than $30,000 when he took over in February. The 20-year veteran and University of New Haven graduate was selected after a two month search to replace Ronald DaSilva, who retired at the end of January.
DaSilva’s 2010 salary was $92,206.
How Chiefs Compare With Other City Employees
The $87,646 average salary for Police Chiefs in Rhode Island is similar to the average of Fire Chiefs across the state. While five Police Chiefs will make over $100,000 this year, a 2010 review of Fire Chief’s salaries shows five Chiefs also pulled in six figures.
A review also shows Police Chiefs tend to make less than Chief Executives, Finance Directors, School Superintendents and in some cases, Public Works Directors.
In fact, in 2010, Public Works Directors in Barrington, Burrillville, East Greenwich, East Providence, Johnston, South Kingstown and Tiverton all made more than the Police Chiefs in their respective cities or towns.
Attempting To Limit Costs
While Volpe received the largest pay increase of any Chief, most top cops throughout the state received only modest raises or in Providence’s case, a significant decrease in salary. The numbers reflect the commitment to shared sacrifice among some municipal leaders throughout the state.
In Providence, Mayor Angel Taveras took a 10 percent pay cut early into term and with a new police chief and fire chief on the way and a new superintendent in place for the year, the city is making significant cuts to its payroll. During his budget address earlier this year, Taveras rolled out many of the areas where he hoped to control spending.
“After receiving the report from my Municipal Finance Review Panel describing the size and scope of the city’s deficit, I took immediate action,’ he said. “Because leadership starts at the top, I took a 10 percent pay cut. Along with several members of this City Council, I declined my public official pension. I ordered immediate layoffs of nonunion staff to save us approximately $2 million. I also froze non-essential spending and hiring.”
Taveras praised the city’s leaders for being willing to tackle the city’s finances head on.
“Let it be written that while some looked to Providence’s fiscal crisis and saw nothing but darkness and foreboding, we seized this opportunity to show that hard work and shared sacrifice brought about Providence's finest hour.”
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