Stamford Police Officers Lead List Of Highest Paid City Employees

Stamford CT

07 March, 2022

2:21 PM

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STAMFORD, CT — Last week, the city of Stamford released salary and compensation data for city employees, and almost all of the top 25 are police officers. The top earner in 2021 was Capt. Diedrich Hohn of the Stamford Police Department at $384,652. Second was Capt. Richard Conklin at $368,977, and third was Lt. Thomas Scanlon with $366,823. After Scanlon was fellow officer Rhett Connelly with $362,751, and then Stamford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Tamu Lucero at $334,873. The numbers released by the city did not break down overtime or extra duty earnings for officers. Hohn told Patch his base salary is $130,000, but he was able to earn extra money through overtime and extra duty jobs, where outside organizations or corporations hire officers for things like security. In the past year, Hohn said there were staffing shortages at the department because of COVID-19, so he was able to work as a patrolman and get paid at a captain's rate. He's also involved with various sectors of the SPD: he leads the behavioral health unit and the domestic violence youth bureau, and is the liaison to the school district. Hohn is the point person for the department for broker jobs, in which outside organizations or corporations will call and request reliable officers for assignments. Hohn said he has worked security shifts at Stop & Shop and Stamford Hospital. In January, Lucero signed a new contract that will run until June 30 2024. Lucero's base salary is $295,000, up from $260,000 in her previous contract. Contributions and fringe benefits will push Lucero's yearly pay to around $406,000. In an announcement from Mayor Caroline Simmons' Office, the city said it spent $324.7 million on salaries and compensation for the calendar year of 2021. The $324.7 million in expenditures, accounts for the salaries and compensation of over 4,200 full-time and part-time employees — the majority of which are members of the police, fire and education unions. The city noted that overtime pay is not included in pension calculations. "We are proud to have the best qualified professionals helping run our administration and city," Simmons said in a news release. "Stamford is one of the safest and fastest growing cities in New England and our team comes from diverse backgrounds, which is part of what makes our city staff so strong. We believe the investment we are making in attracting top talent is not only an investment in our city, but the future as well." The city's announcement said city employee salaries are not the key structural driver of rising city expenditures. "For the most part, City salaries are identical to compensation given to private sector workers. However, the costs of City benefits — such as healthcare, pensions, and paid time off — are significantly higher than those in the private sector," the city's announcement said. "In the past, the city has negotiated to try and balance these structural costs for taxpayers and will continue to do so in the future." Patch reached out to Conklin and Lucero for comment