Cop leads pay list at nearly $200G

With $107, 762 in overtime, police spokesman is Schenectady’s highest paid employee for 4th year in a row

Schenectady The nearly $200,000 Sgt. Jeff Mccutcheon earned in 2018 – more than half of it overtime pay — is the most ever in police department history and makes him the highest paid city employee for the fourth consecutive year, according to city payroll records.

Mccutcheon, who also serves as a department spokesman, collected $107, 762 in overtime pay to supplement his $82,417 annual base salary.

He and many of the last year’s top money makers also received longevity pay and compensation for working holidays and in a few instances if they are covered by a spouse’s health insurance plan.

Mccutcheon, 40, told the Times Union Friday that he puts in a lot of hours because he loves being in a patrol car and interacting with people in the city while working with good cops in a professional place.

“It’s coming into work and not doing the same thing every day, and as the city evolves so does my job, so there’s always something interesting going on,” said Mccutcheon, noting that colleagues can attest to the fact that he’s always in a good mood

at work. “I find it interesting, challenging, and it’s fun, and I encourage more people to do it.”

Peter Mullen Jr., a detective who is also president of the Schenectady Police Benevolent Association, earned $99,000 in overtime, exceeding his base pay of $75,121, good enough for the No. 2 spot on the list, with $183,468 in total.

Deputy Fire Chief David Orr, one of two firefighters in the Top 10 on the list, boosted his total earnings to $165, 111 with $63,577 in overtime pay in addition to his base salary of $87,696.

Rounding out the Top 5 were recently retired Detective Ed Ritz and Patrolman Nicholas Giardono, both of whom made more than $75,000 working extra hours last year.

Ritz received a payout of $14,390 for time accrued during his tenure with the department.

Mccutcheon explained that most of his overtime hours came from working patrol, not as a supervisor, and that he takes it after it’s rejected by patrol officers and detectives.

In Schenectady, the median household income is about $41,243 while the poverty rate is 21 percent.

A report by the Albanybased Empire Center indicates that for fiscal year 2017-18, the Schenectady police force had the highest average pay at $94,817 for cities in the Capital Region and upstate New York.

That number, said the center’s E.J. Mcmahon, is slightly above the statewide average.

The Albany Police Department was second at $90,454, while Troy was eighth with $69,438, according to the “What They Make’ report.

By comparison, a town like Guilderland with a 36-member police force has an average pay of $100,518.

Schenectady also ranked first for the highest average pay for firefighters in cities in the area at $88,236 with Troy fourth at $75,361 and Albany fifth at $75,912.

The numbers include overtime expenses.

Speaking in general terms, Mcmahon said the underlying causes for the huge paychecks are usually if a municipality suffers a calamity like 9/11 that leads to a lot of overtime or a “contract that is actually geared to generate overtime” loaded with differentials for nights, weekends, holidays or a change in shift without advanced notice.

“It is notable that (it is) a city that is far from being the most prosperous in upstate New York ... it’s about the contact and the city, it’s not about (the police officer).”

Though he defended the police and fire department, Mayor Gary Mccarthy acknowledged Friday that the collective bargaining and binding arbitration sometimes favors employees.

“Yes, I would like those numbers to be lower but at the same time we’ve got to meet the needs and demands of the citizens of the city,” he added.

Mccarthy, who earned $99,700 in 2018, said his administration always looks for ways to cut costs and reduce staff and overtime.

“The problem is that it’s still a fairly big city with complicated needs and of those needs, public safety is No. 1,” he added.

The payroll records were obtained by the Times Union under a Freedom of Information Act request.