WTF? $100,000 @ The LEAST!

[GottaDiesel]

I just looked up a very small town where I use to do business... this town is representative of the area as a whole. Low crime, and town is approximately one square mile.

They have 14 police officers. NONE made under $100,000 a year last year.

Can anyone explain that?

[Hatterasguy]

Double over time.

[Zerohour3k]

To modify an Einstein quote...

Two things are infinite. The universe, and corruption in New Jersey... and I'm not too sure about the first one.

It really doesn't surprise me in the least. NJ has a long history of overpaid state employees & police, and taxing the hell out of the middle class to pay for it all. Property taxes are still through the roof (and a one-time rebate won't help that), and there hasn't been any radical changes as of late.

To be honest, I think we should throw Corzine out on his ass, since he's just as corrupt / STUPID as the rest of the politicians that have taken the reigns for NJ. Hell, he wants to lease out the NJTP and Parkway. The very same parkway that was paid for entirely by the citizens of Ocean / Monmouth county in 1955, with tolls erected "only until the road was paid off". And now, he wants to sell it and raise the fees? How about firing the toll workers, some of which make over 28 bucks an hour? Toll collecting isn't exactly rocket science, and with the advent of the cash register, a college dropout can easily do it for 7 bucks an hour.

I'm neither Dem nor Republican, but I can assure you that I think that both parties are corrupt as hell. If it were a republican in office, he'd be looking for ways to reduce our rights to that of a police state. With Corzine, we just get taxed more (or have tolls raised, which is nothing more than an excuse for a tax), rather than trimming any fat off the spending. Because hey, when your best buddies are getting paid 120k a year for sitting on their a$$ all day, why would you want to upset them, right? Let those fools who live here pay for it all, right? It's all a big game of smoke and mirrors, saying one thing, and doing another. Sure, people are happy that we're getting property tax rebates, but when you pay an extra 1% in sales tax... and possible large toll raises on the major roads (which are pretty much essential for daily commutes).. does that rebate even mean a damn thing?

I want to see someone take office who *didn't* own a large company, and is just an average joe. No more wall-street big-shots. No more upper class snobs who think that "they know what the middle / lower class needs". And no more frivolous spending. But that'll never happen.

[GottaDiesel]

*****!, You said it 100%.

[Kuan]

Originally Posted by GottaDiesel

I just looked up a very small town where I use to do business... this town is representative of the area as a whole. Low crime, and town is approximately one square mile.

They have 14 police officers. NONE made under $100,000 a year last year.

Can anyone explain that?

Is 100k too much? Low crime, wonder why?

[John Doe]

I had a wrongful death case that recently concluded against the police department and we had an expert on premises liability who was from Franklin Lakes, NJ. The average salary for a recruit in Franklin Lakes was $84K last year and that is 42% higher than the national average for police recruits. NJ are the highest paid cops in the US because iirc the legislature helps out a lot.

[truckinik]

Well, There are a few counties, on Long Island paying their newest recruits 85k to start.

[Kuan]

What's the career track of a police officer? Do many of them last that long as a police officer and what do they do after life as a cop?

[AustinsCE]

Anyone ever watch or read Robin Hood?

[Medmech]

Good for them! Cops deserve more than $100,000 IMO.

I wouldn't do it for $100,000. Most of my county's sheriffs are friends of mine and the BS they have to put up with in a mostly rural country is mind boggling.

[GottaDiesel]

Folks who don't know the demographics and union organization in NJ have no idea what they are talking about (and I don't mean in this thread).

We are the only state with the following LOCAL coverage.

1) State Police
2) County Police
3) Sheriff
4) Municipal
5) Ranger
6) Homeland Security Patrol

That's right. In ONE TOWN all SIX of those people can be found and have authority.

It is VERY common for you to go down the road here, and see a four or more speed traps, by each of the aforementioned. (Go a mile, see State, another mile, see Muni, etc.)

The level of crime has ZERO to do with it. As the example of Franklin Lakes... look it up demo-wise. It is one of the richest towns in the COUNTRY.

NJ -- A State like No Other.

[GottaDiesel]

BTW,

Doe is 100% correct.

(I don't *think* I can get banned for that, can I?)

[Kuan]

I wouldn't do it, period! I don't begrudge their salary one bit. You have to have a strong stomach to be a cop.

[Kuan]

Originally Posted by GottaDiesel

BTW,

Doe is 100% correct.

(I don't *think* I can get banned for that, can I?)

Only if you agree with me. But yeah, overlapping agencies is an indication that something odd is going on, six overlapping agencies... well.

PS: Is it a comunity like these? THe following is the police reports from the last month as published in the paper:

CHANHASSEN

MARCH 25

Neighborhood dispute. A resident of the 8500 block of Mission Hills Circle came into the Sheriff's Office once and called twice to complain about a neighborhood child trespassing while retrieving his ball from the resident's yard.

MARCH 26

Burglary. Cash was reported stolen in the 300 block of W. 78th Street.

MARCH 27

Cruelty to animals. A 48-year-old Chanhassen woman was cited for animal abandonment in the 700 block of Carver Beach Road.

MARCH 29

Animal rescue. A duck was trapped in a fireplace in the 7200 block of Minnewashta Parkway. It was rescued and released.

Theft. A trailer was stolen in the 1300 block of Park Road.

DEEPHAVEN

MARCH 12

Theft. A set of bowls and other miscellaneous items were taken from a home in the 18000 block of Northome Boulevard.

[John Doe]

Originally Posted by Kuan

What's the career track of a police officer? Do many of them last that long as a police officer and what do they do after life as a cop?

The guy I hired probably made upwards of $1M per year testifying as an expert witness all over the country. We paid him $15K for two depositions and an expert report and some general support.