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Bucks County Sheriff Office, Pennsylvania, 2008-2011
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The Bucks County Sheriff's Office in Pennsylvania is a department in Bucks County.
Salaries and benefits
Salaries
Sunshine Review requested information from the Bucks County Sheriff's Office regarding salaries from 2008-2011. The information was gathered from county data after Sunshine Review filed a public records request.
The salary data only included information for the sheriff.[1] It did not include information for sworn officers or civilian personnel. Sunshine Review requested information on those salaries from the Sheriff's Office, but the office did not comply with the request.
- In 2011, Sheriff Edward J. Donnelly earned $77,528.60
- In 2010 he earned $75,270.48
- In 2009 he earned $73,078.14
- In 2008 he earned $70,949.65
In August 2011, Dennis Shook was hired to fill the position of chief deputy sheriff at a salary of $69,567. The position was vacant for several years.[2]
Benefits
Sunshine Review requested information on benefits provided by Bucks County Sheriff's Office from 2008-2011 through a public records request. The office did not respond to this request.
Phone use
Sunshine Review filed a public records request seeking information from the Bucks County Sheriff's Office regarding cell phone and mobile devices issued to employees - including the type of device and cost of the plan. The sheriff's office did not comply with the request.
Car use
Sunshine Review filed a public records request seeking information from the Bucks County Sheriff's Office regarding automobiles used by the department, including any policies regarding home use of the vehicles. The sheriff's office did not comply with the request.
Allegations of misconduct
The sheriff's department is undergoing an investigation on unannounced allegations of misconduct by the state Attorney General.[3] State and local prosecutors have declined to say why the sheriff’s department came under scrutiny, though a county email indicated that officials were concerned, at least in part, about a top lieutenant’s firearms training credentials being out of date, which called into question the validity of his certification of 46 deputies to carry firearms in 2010.[2]
Salary records project
In 2011, Sunshine Review chose 152 local governments as the focus of research on public employee salaries. The editors of Sunshine Review selected eight states with relevant political contexts (listed alphabetically):
1. California
2. Florida
3. Illinois
4. Michigan
5. New Jersey
6. Pennsylvania
7. Texas
8. Wisconsin
Within these states, the editors of Sunshine Review focused on the most populous cities, counties and school districts, as well as the emergency services entities within these governments. The purpose of this selection method was to develop articles on governments affecting the most citizens.
The salary information garnered from these states were a combination of existing online resources and state Freedom of Information Act requests sent out to the governments.
A study published by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia said the city of Philadelphia faced challenges owing to the cost of public employee pensions.[4] The report claimed the amount that Philadelphia paid to pension recipients limited the city’s ability to use its budget effectively.
The report said there were more individuals receiving pension benefits—33,907 claimants in 2006—than workers in the city—28,701.[4] The authors recommended three steps towards addressing the problem of high costs in pensions: improved data collection, expanded transparency initiatives, and reductions to the city's overall budget.[4]
Salary schedules can be published as ranges, not as specific compensation figures, and may leave out compensation received through health and retirement benefits, as well as benefits such as commuter allowances and cell phone reimbursements. This project aimed to close the gap and provide a more accurate picture of public employee salaries for the sake of public education and transparency.
See also
- Pennsylvania local government salary: Law Enforcement
- Pennsylvania state government salary
- Pennsylvania
- Public employee salary
External links
- Bucks County Sheriff's Office official website
- Law Enforcement Preparation Center -- Police Officer Annual Salary
- State Budget Solutions -- Pennsylvania
- "Bucks County Sheriff Arrested For Allegedly Abusing His Position While Making An Arrest," CBS Philly, October 8, 2011
Footnotes
- ↑ Bucks County, Pennsylvania salary data, via records request by Sunshine Review
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Philly Burbs, "Sheriff's office defends appointment," August 4, 2011
- ↑ Montgomery Media, "Bucks County commissioner protests sheriff department's hire," August 10, 2011
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 '’Philadelphia’s Quiet Crisis: The Rising Cost of Employee Benefits, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, January 23, 2008
