Six-figure pensions are becoming the norm among retirees from New York’s largest downstate suburban police departments, according to data posted today at SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website.
Fully three-quarters of the 242 Nassau County and Suffolk County police department officers retiring last year, as well as two-thirds of the 39 newly retired Yonkers city police officers, were eligible for annual pensions of more than $100,000, the data show. The pension amounts do not include added severance payments for accumulated sick or vacation time.
The average pension was $81,260 for all 1,322 Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) members retiring in fiscal 2019 after at least 20 years of service. Among new police retirees in fiscal 2019, the highest maximum benefit amounts were reported for Jeff Fabre of Nassau County ($221,086), Anthony Ovchinnikoff of Clarkstown ($198,701), Thomas Cokeley of Ramapo ($180,656), Thomas Papaccio of Nassau County ($179,440), and Edmund Leahy of Yonkers ($177,778).
Newly posted pension data at SeeThroughNY.net also include retirement benefits for 402,419 individuals who retired as members of the New York State and Local Employee Retirement System (ERS), which covers nearly all other non-teaching public employees outside New York City. Among 7,368 NYSLERS members retiring in 2019 after at least 30 years of service, the average annual pension benefit was $50,497.
The list of top pension earners in NYSLERS was topped by Shashikant Lele, a former surgeon and professor at Roswell Park Cancer Center ($436,356), followed by Paul Scott, a surgeon at Nassau County Health Care Corp ($328,127) and Leonard Barrett, also a surgeon at Nassau County Health Care Corp ($315,104). Statewide, another 22 newly retired NYSLERS members were eligible for pensions exceeding $200,000.
The complete SeeThroughNY.net database include maximum pension allowances for 436,872 retirees from state government, public authorities, counties, towns, villages, cities not including New York City, special districts and school districts.
The Empire Center, based in Albany, is an independent, not-for-profit, non-partisan think tank dedicated to promoting policies that can make New York a better place to live, work and raise a family.
You may also like
FDNY Adds More $200K Pensions As New Career Retirees Average $140K
More than three-quarters of last year’s retirees from the City of New York’s Fire Department (FDNY) were eligible for six-figure pensions, with 40 of them eligible for pensions over $200,000 according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
Empire Center Sues Cuomo Administration for Withholding Nursing Home COVID Data
The Empire Center today filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Health (DOH) after DOH refused to release records showing the full count of coronavirus deaths among nursing home residents, including those that occurred after patients were transferred to hospitals. Read More
Despite Coronavirus Budget Crunch, Albany Didn’t Lock Down the Pork Barrel
Despite a fiscal crisis that led Governor Cuomo to withhold aid payments for school districts and local governments, the Cuomo administration since spring has approved more than $46 million in new pork-barrel capital grants. Read More
Cops Dominate Latest List of Six-Figure Pensions
Most of the newest retirees eligible for pensions over $100,000 from the New York State and Local Retirement System were retired police officers, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
Empire Center Sues DOT for Hiding Study
The Empire Center for Public Policy today announced its lawsuit against the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) for refusing to disclose a study DOT claims justified forcing bidders to sign a deal with specifi Read More
State Laws Insulate Public Employees From Discipline, Report Shows
A combination of state laws makes it harder for elected officials to discipline not only police officers but virtually all categories of public employees, according to a report issued today by the Empire Center for Public Policy.
Read More
Empire Center Sues MTA for Hiding Pay Records
The Empire Center for Public Policy today filed a lawsuit to force the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to disclose payroll records for MTA police officers that it withheld in violation of the state’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). Read More
MTA Overtime Down $100M in 2019, But Still Well Above 2014
Employee overtime at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) decreased by more than $100 million last year, according to payroll data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s government transparency website. But while the $1.24 billion in overtime was 8 percent below the 2018 record level of $1.35 billion, it was still 46 percent higher than in 2014. Read More