1 in 6 cops over $100K

One in six London police officers made more than $100,000 in 2010, a 68% jump from 2009.
Between police officers and civilians, 104 London police employees joined the $100,000 club — 42 more than 2009.
The force released the list of employees Thursday to comply with the Sunshine Law requiring police forces, municipalities and other agencies funded by the province to disclose employees earning more than $100,000.
The timing of Thursday’s release of officers earning six-figure salaries comes as the union representing officers is taking heat from some politicians and the public for its demands in a new contract.
Police are eyeing a 3% annual increase to keep pace with what officers in other Ontario forces earn.
Contract talks will start in March. Mayor Joe Fontana has warned he’s prepared to play hardball, saying he would consider going to an arbitrator if the city and police can’t reach a deal.
And even a modest contract settlement will propel about 95 of the force’s sergeants — who make between $96,564 and $98,989 — into the Sunshine Club for 2011.
Chief Brad Duncan said some officers had outside help in cracking the $100,000 threshold last year.
Eight received payment from the federal government — six for the G20 summit and two from the Olympics — and another 12 reached the threshold after being paid by business owners for special events, Duncan told the police services board Thursday when the numbers were released.
“Based on their regular salary only, they would not have reached the threshold of $100,000,” he said later.
Many others were officers working overtime in specialized units, such as the guns and drugs unit, Duncan told the board.
Retired police Chief Murray Faulkner tops the list at $229,089 with another $5,581 in taxable benefits.
Duncan is behind him at $189,339 with $9,453 in taxable benefits followed by deputy chief Ian Peer at $184,745 with $9,405 in taxable benefits.
In 2009, 62 officers made the list. The force has 587 officers and 212 civilians.
Officials have defended the police salaries in the past, saying the mid-1990s Ontario Sunshine Law is outdated and the pay threshold needed to make the list should be updated to account for inflation since then.
Duncan said all public sector salaries have increased since the law was first introduced and the police are no different.
“We’re aware there’s more officers reaching that threshold within our service, but that’s not unlike other public sectors that are experiencing the same rise.”
Though the number of police officers and civilians on the list has jumped, it’s still fewer than the fire department, when 116 London firefighters made the list in 2009.