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Dallas County Sheriff's Department, Texas, 2008-2011
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Dallas County Sheriff’s Department employee salaries are public record under the Texas Public Information Act.[1]
Salaries
According to The Texas Tribune, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department had a total of 2,049 employees in 2011.[2]
- The highest salary was $139,726 for Lupe Valdez, the Sheriff-Executive.
- The lowest salary was $20,134.
- There were no employees earning over $150,000 a year.
The following table outlines the top ten salaries in 2011:[2]
| Name | Agency | Department | Title | Salary |
| Lupe Valdez | Dallas County | Sheriff-Executive | Sheriff | $139,726 |
| Jesse Flores | Dallas County | Sheriff-Executive***** | Executive Chief Deputy | $112,116 |
| Joseph W Costa | Dallas County | Sheriff-General Svcs | Deputy VIIi (Chief) | $97,492 |
| Marlin R Suell | Dallas County | Sheriff-Detention Services | Deputy VIIi (Chief) | $97,492 |
| Gary Michael Lindsey | Dallas County | Sheriff-Detention Services | Deputy VIIi (Chief) | $92,849 |
| Jesse Herrera Jr | Dallas County | Sheriff-General Svcs | Deputy VII (Asst Chief) | $92,849 |
| Cheryl D Wilson | Dallas County | Sheriff-General Svcs | Deputy VII (Asst Chief) | $92,849 |
| Mark Alan Howard | Dallas County | Sheriff-General Svcs | Deputy V (Captain) | $88,428 |
| Judith Mcdonald Pharr | Dallas County | Sheriff-General Svcs | Deputy V (Captain) | $88,428 |
| Jason M Valentine | Dallas County | Sheriff-No Tx Auto Theft Force | Deputy V (Captain) | $88,428 |
Benefits
Full time employees in Dallas County receive the following benefits:[3]
- Medical
- Dental
- Vision
- Life insurance
- Disability
- Flexible spending account
- Open enrollment
- Express scripts
Phone use
The 2011 budget included no cell phones paid for by the county for an estimated savings of $405,772.[4]
Car use
In 2008, Dallas County had a fleet of 980 vehicles, most of which were vans or SUVS and had an estimated fuel cost of $2.1 million annually.[5]
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.[6] 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.[6] 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.[6]
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
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Are city employees' salaries public information or are they protected for personal privacy?—Texas Center for Community Journalism
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Texas Tribune, "Dallas County Sheriff Salaries"
- ↑ Dallas County Benefits
- ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Dallas County officials vote to propose tax increase rather than cut payroll," September 1, 2010
- ↑ Government Fleet, "Dallas County Isn’t Putting Brakes on Gas Guzzlers"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 '’Philadelphia’s Quiet Crisis: The Rising Cost of Employee Benefits, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, January 23, 2008
