Police officers once again top city’s list of highest paid

Once again, most of Baltimore’s highest paid employees are police officers.

Overtime expenses in the 2018 fiscal year, which ended June 30, meant that 40 of the 50 highest-paid city employees work for the Baltimore Police Department — including seven of the top 10.

Sgt. William Harris Jr. was the highest-paid city employee last year, earning $250,000, well above his base salary of $100,000. Harris was also the highest-paid city employee last year.

He was followed in the most recent fiscal year by Sgt. Ethan R. Newberg, who earned $243,000 on a base salary of $100,000, and State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who has a salary of about $239,000. The next highest-paid were Officer Eric L. Green, who made $227,000, and Lt. Darrell A. Merrick, who made $225,000.

The data, from the city’s Open Baltimore website, continues a longrunning trend in which overtime boosts law enforcement salaries and some employees are able to more than double their compensation.

The Baltimore Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.

The data did not include two top earners who are members of Mayor Catherine Pugh’s Cabinet because they run organizations independent from the municipal government. City schools CEO Sonja Santelises makes $298,000. Al Hutchinson, the head of the quasi-public tourism agency Visit Baltimore, earns $333,000.

Pugh herself was paid $178,000 last year — making her the 55th-highest earner in city government.

The compensation of even the highest-paid city workers falls well short of the top state salaries — which go to sports coaches and college presidents. University of Maryland men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon tops the list, being paid $2.7 million last year. Maryland football coach DJ Durkin received $2.5 million. Maryland women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese was the third-highest-paid state employee with $1.2 million in earnings.