New Jersey Police Salaries Are Greatest In Nation; Montclair Officials Speak Out On Issue

The average municipal cop in New Jersey is being paid 80 percent more than the average resident, and three of 10 made at least $100,000 last year. Essex County police fall somewhere in the middle, earning a median salary of $90,160. These are just some of the findings that were part of an analysis released by the Star-Ledger over the weekend.

Among the findings:

• The median salary for the state's 20,525 municipal officers was $90,672 last year, meaning half earned more and half earned less.
• A total of 6,198 municipal officers made at least $100,000 last year. Ninety-nine of 466 towns that pay police have six-figure median salaries. Most are in North Jersey, primarily Bergen County.
• Suburban cops are paid the best while city officers generally make less and rural cops make the least.

In Montclair, as in other New Jersey towns, the Township Council has struggled particularly hard over the past several months to rein in its spending. Earlier this month, the Council passed a resolution to amend its budget,  decreasing appropriations from $70,687,749.71 to $70, 417,608.71. A final vote on the 2010 budget — which will spark a 5.8 percent property tax increase — is expected within the next two weeks.

Mayor Jerry Fried said Monday that the largest category of municipal spending is indeed salaries and wages.

He explained that: "Police and firefighters who put their lives at risk for our safety are well-paid, as they should be. Where costs have gone out of control is in the combination of these relatively high wages, very costly health benefits, and a pension system in which many officers and firefighters can retire from their service in their forties. Longer lifespans and two-income households mean that pensions are simply too generous."

Under the proposed 2010 budget, salaries and wages for the police department will total $12,031,432.00. In 2009, the total was $11,689,486.

Fried said that these jobs were not intended to guarantee a lifetime of financial security.

"Most residents, who have seen their buying power stagnate for three decades under a federal tax system that rewards the wealthiest 2 percent, can no longer afford to pay these costs," he said.

Fried said that it's important to point out that about 58 percent of a residents' tax bill is related to schools, while 17 percent is the county portion and 25 percent is the municipal portion.

"New Jersey is Number One in school funding and this — I would say — wise investment makes other costs pale in comparison," he said.

Councilor Nick Lewis emphasized that police offers are agreeing to perform a sometimes dangerous job which many people would not want to do.

In particular, he said that the analysis indicates a Montclair police officer earns about $86,000.

"I imagine that is not that different from the average income of a Montclair resident, although I'm not sure that this is a valid way to measure such things," he said.

Lewis added that one could raise the same issue when it comes to countless positions.

"Should hedge fund managers earn tens of million of dollars a year? Are nurses underpaid?" he asked. "Should someone just out of law school make a huge salary because they have gotten a job at a big-name firm? Should lawyers make more than the judges? If our children are our future, should we pay teachers more?"

The valid questions, Lewis said, are why the super-rich are paid so much and why there has been an upward redistribution of wealth in America over the last 30 years.

"I believe the attempt to somehow rate the worth and commensurate salaries of working people is only divisive and unproductive," he said.