Pay for Heads of Municipal Police Departments PDF Print E-mail
The Mandate: General Municipal Law § 207-m addresses the salary and fringe benefits for individuals serving as heads of municipal police departments. This section provides, in pertinent part, that "whenever the base salary or other compensation of the permanent full-time police officer who is a member of a negotiating unit and who is the highest ranking subordinate to the head of the police department in such unit, is increased, the salary of the permanent full-time head of the police department shall be increased by at least the same dollar amount of the base salary increase received by such next subordinate police officer."  Counsels' opinions from the Attorney General and the State Comptroller have interpreted this statute as requiring municipalities to pay a newly hired head of a police department the same salary as was received by the former head of the department. Unless mandated by state law, this is an employment practice which would not be adhered to by any employer in the public or private sectors.

The Cost: This is a clear example of a state mandate taking away the power of locally elected officials to make the proper determination concerning the spending of local tax dollars. As a result of this mandate, newly hired heads of police departments are receiving compensation -- and property owners are being taxed -- in excess of that which they otherwise would.

The Solution: This statute should be repealed.