PITTSBURGH —Twenty-eight Pittsburgh police officers made more money last year than their own chief and even Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.
They did so by logging extra hours, some of it overtime for the police department. Some of it while working special details, like security outside bars.
The cops are on duty, but their pay comes from the bars after it goes through the police department’s special events office.
But all of it is listed as premium pay on a police salary report from the city of Pittsburgh Law Department obtained by Channel 4 Action News investigator Jim Parsons.
Related link: Highest Pittsburgh police premium wage earners
“We had issues with just the way we understood the accounting was occurring,” said city Controller Michael Lamb.
Now, it turns out the FBI apparently has issues with it, too, after authorities seized more Pittsburgh police-related records from the Greater Pittsburgh Police Federal Credit Union earlier this week.
The amount of money paid out for special details, department overtime, and other premium pay topped $13 million last year.
No. 1 on that list was Sgt. Eugene Hlavac. His base pay was $66,000, but his premium pay through early December was more than $100,000, bringing his total compensation to more than $171,000.
Second on the list was Lt. Thomas Atkins, who had more than half his $168,000 come from premium pay.
Sgt. William Haines and officers Michael Burns and Paul Abel also made the top 10 in premium pay. Each of them more than doubled their salaries and took home $120,000 or more.
Also in the top 15 was Sgt. Dominic Sciulli, one of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's police bodyguards. He made $56,000 just in premium pay.
Article: http://www.wtae.com/news/local/investig ... z2Ldo2YH7h
List of the top 30 earners: http://www.wtae.com/blob/view/-/1856996 ... arners.pdf