As a senior Houston police officer, William Lindsey Jr. had a base salary of about $72,000 last year. Because he is on the department’s DWI Task Force, however, Lindsey’s overtime pay put him at an income level rivaling Mayor Bill White and Police Chief Harold Hurtt. The 27-year HPD veteran grossed more than $100,000 in overtime pay in 2005, and he wasn’t the only task force member pulling in a six-figure income, reports the Houston Chronicle.
Two others in the unit were boosted above the $100,000 income level with overtime pay. Though police and prosecutors defend the hefty DWI overtime, critics say many of those hours are an unnecessary expense that increases the risk of putting physically and mentally fatigued officers on duty. Lindsey’s total income of $172,576 compares with White’s $165,000 and Hurtt’s $184,000. The mayor and police chief are not eligible for overtime pay. Among the other task force members with six-figure incomes in 2005 was Lindsey’s supervisor, Sgt. Edward Robinson, who earned $161,722, including $76,055 in overtime.
Link: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3812910.html