Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania, 2009-2011

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The Pennsylvania State Police was created in 1905 in Pennsylvania. It was the first uniformed police organization of its kind in the United States.

According to the official recruiting site of the Pennsylvania State Police, starting yearly salary for a state trooper is $58,211.00. Troopers earn 10 vacation days within the first year of employment, 15 sick days per calendar year, 13 paid holidays and 4 personal days per calendar year.

Salaries and benefits

Salaries

The Pennsylvania State Police has 4,677 sworn members and over 1,600 civilians serve in a variety of roles throughout the department. In 2009, salaries totaled $284,798,786.22.

• The highest paid employee was Frank Noonan, the state police commissioner. In 2010, the last year of salary data provided to Sunshine Review through a public records request, Noonan earned a salary of $132,569.84. In 2009 his salary was $132,515.40.
• Including Noonan there were 25 state police employees earning more than $100,000 a year.
• There were 52 employees earning between $90,000 and $99,999.99.
• The smallest salary earned by a state trooper was $ 50,027.76.
• There were 1,178 employees earning between $50,027.76 and $59,999.99.

Benefits

In 2010 the Pennsylvania State Police spent $151,399,034.75 on benefits. That same year, it spent $284,798,786 on salaries. This means that more than a third of employee compensation came in the form of benefits.

In 2009 the department spent $147,862,766.09 for benefits.

Although the Pennsylvania State Police provided a bottom-line number budgeted for employee benefits, they did not provide Sunshine Review with a breakdown of the benefits available to each employee.

Phone use

Under commonwealth regulations governing the use of mobile devices, the following positions were issued cellular telephones. Although the Pennsylvania State Police provided Sunshine Review with mobile devices policies, the organization did not provide information on the number of mobile devices in service or the amount budgeted annually for the upkeep of said devices.

Area/troop

• Area Commanders: One BlackBerry per position
• Troop Commanders: One BlackBerry per position
• Troop Section Commanders: One cellular device per position
• Station Commanders: One BlackBerry per position
• Station Watch Office: One BlackBerry per station
• Criminal lnvestigation Unit: One cellular device per unit/location
• Forensic Services Unit: One cellular device per unit/location
• Public Information Officer: One cellular device per "fuIl-time" position

Bureau/office

• Bureau Directors: One BlackBerry per position
• Office Directors: Case by case
• Assistant Office Directors: Case by case
• Division Directors: Case by case
• Section Commanders: Case by case
• Office Commanders: One BlackBerry per position
• Office Commanders: One BlackBerry per position

Car use

The Pennsylvania State Police field a number of different types of vehicles for law enforcement purposes. Vehicles utilized by the state police include motorcycles, unmarked patrol units, marked patrol units, sedans, vans, forensic vehicles, command vehicles, towed trailers and criminal investigation sedans. Although the Pennsylvania State Police provided Sunshine Review with their vehicle policies, they did not provide information on the number of vehicles in service or the amount budgeted annually for the upkeep of said vehicles.

Vehicle distribution guidelines for the state police are:

Area/Troop Vehicle Guidelines

• Command: Command personnel as defined in this regulation shall be allocated a vehicle.
• Criminal Investigation Section:
  • Criminal Investigation Unit: Unmarked sedans are allocated for every 1.5 members assigned to the Criminal Investigation Unit, including Criminal Investigation Unit Supervisors and Criminal Investigation Unit members. Additionally, it will include Criminal Investigation Section Supervisors where assigned.
  • Polygraph Unit: One unmarked sedan allocated to Unit.
  • Forensic Services Unit: One vehicle allocated to Unit.
  • Fire Marshal Unit: One unmarked sedan allocated per full-time member.
  • Criminal Investigative Assessment Unit: One unmarked sedan allocated per fulltime member.
  • Intelligence Unit. One undercover vehicle allocated per full-time member. (Vehicle serves as backup to Criminal Investigation Section and Vice/Narcotic Unit when not in use.)
  • Vice/Narcotic Unit: One undercover vehicle allocated per full-time member.
  • FBI Fugitive Task Force (Troop K only): One vehicle will be allocated to this Task Force.
  • Bureau Criminal/Special Investigators: Investigators who are detached or directly work for a specific Bureau such as Auto Theft Unit or Computer Crime Unit members are not counted in the Troop distributions, vehicles are allocated through respective Bureaus"
• Patrol Section.
  • Patrol Unit: One vehicle allotted to each 2.5 members assigned to the Patrol Unit. The complement used to determine this number will include Supervisors and members. Additionally, it will also include Patrol Section Supervisors, Warrant Unit membe(s), and Patrol Section Special Projects members where assigned.
  • Vehicle Fraud lnvestigation Unit. Units with one to three members shall have one vehicle allocated; Units with four or more members shall have one vehicle allocated for every two members.
  • Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Specialist: Allocated one vehicle per full-time member.
  • Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit: Allocated one vehicle per Unit. Other specialty Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program vehicles are allocated to these Units through the Commercial Vehicle Safety Section, Bureau of Patrol, in accordance with staffing requirements and do not count in the calculations associated with the Vehicle Distribution Guidelines.
  • School Resource Officer (SRO) Program: One marked vehicle allocated per school district in which a member is consistently performing the SRO function 20 or more hours a week.
  • Additional patrol vehicle: The Director, Transportation Division shall endeavor to allocate to each Patrol Unit one additional marked or unmarked vehicle to provide flexibility to the Troop Commander in meeting unusual circumstances that cannot be addressed by the Vehicle Distribution Guidelines.
  • Recommended distribution of patrol vehicles: The recommended distribution of vehicles is 80 percent marked and 20 percent unmarked. Troop Commanders shall coordinate with the Director, Transportation Division to accommodate distribution deviating from this recommendation.
  • Staff Services Section (Troop Headquarters): A total of four vehicles shall be allotted to each Troop Staff Services Section. The recommended
• Pool Vehicles for General Operations:
  • An unmarked radio or non-radio sedan will be allocated for every 20 enlisted members, excluding members who already have permanently allocated vehicles.
  • Pool vehicles shall not be assigned to any one individual. They are to be used for court, training, laboratory drops, supply runs, etc. As a general rule, pool vehicles are not to be taken home by personnel, unless a specific business purpose dictates the need and it is approved by the Area or Troop Commander.
• SERT Negotiation Unit Members: SERT Negotiation Unit members will be allocated Troop vehicles from their assigned Troop when on "primary" status.

Bureau/Office Vehicle Guidelines

• Command: Command personnel as defined in this regulation shall be allocated a vehicle.
• Undercover/Operational Specialized Positions :
  • One undercover vehicle allocated per full-time member or employee.
  • Nonoperational/Administrative Specialized Positions: Written justification from the Bureau/Office Director to the Deputy Commissioner of Staff must be submitted, approved, and maintained for each nonoperational/administrative specialized position within the Bureau/Office requiring full-time assignment of a vehicle.
• Pool Vehicles:
  • Pool vehicles shall not be assigned to any one individual. They are to be used for court, training, laboratory drops, supply runs, etc. As a general rule, pool vehicles are not to be taken home by personnel, unless a specific business purpose dictates the need and it is approved by the Bureau/Office Director.
• Gaming Enforcement Office: Vehicles assigned to the Gaming Enforcement Office are conditional on approval by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board through their annual budget process.
• SERT Tactical Unit Members and Negotiation Unit Leaders: Assigned one vehicle per member through the Bureau of Emergency and Special Operations (BESO).
• Canine Section Members: Assigned one vehicle per full-time member through BESO.

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. 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. 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.

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

 

• Pennsylvania State Police
• Pennsylvania State Police official recruiting website
• Pennsylvania State Police - Employment
• Law Enforcement Preparation Center -- Police Officer Annual Salary
• State Budget Solutions -- Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania State Police Salaries -- Glassdoor.com