Retired Police Captains Earn Second Salaries as Department Contractors

When La Verne police captains Darryl Seube and Michael Wiggins retired in July 2010, they didn't head for the usual regimen of golf and cross-country RV trips.

Instead, both officers returned to work at the La Verne Police Department - this time as private contractors.

Under the agreements, the officers are able to supplement their annual pensions of more than $125,000, with annual contracts that pay them up to $69,100 more.

Such post-retirement arrangements have become commonplace for administrative-level police officers across the state, supporters and critics are divided about whether the practice constitutes a valuable way for agencies to retain expertise or just another vehicle for retirees to add to already-lucrative public safety pensions.

“It’s a case-by-case policy," said La Verne City Manager Bob Russi. "If there’s a benefit to keeping someone on, the organization makes similar arrangements."

But taxpayer advocates question whether the public actually benefits.

"Like everyone else, we value the work that police officers do, but at some time there should be a limit," said Kris Vosburgh, the executive director of Howard Jarvis Tax Payers Association. 

"This is driven by the unions and, while those who work for the government are doing very well, many of us are seeing a decline in our standard of living and we are seeing many folks who are out of work."

Both captains' pensions fall under the "3 at 50" provision, which means officers with 30 years of service can earn 90 percent of their highest annual salaries, beginning at age 50. Captains at the highest salary grade received an annual salary of $145,392, according to the city's salary chart.

This month, the La Verne city council was forced to modify the contracts of the two captains, which began in June of 2011 and run until June 30 of this year, after the California Public Employees' Retirement System, or CALPERS, tightened the rules under which retirees could return to work.

The new rules preclude the officers from doing the same kind of work they were doing as full-fledged police captains.

Under the new employment agreement, Seube and Wiggins can provide extra help related to special projects, consultation, training and any other work that permanent employees can’t do.

They are expected to work a minimum of 20 hours weekly but no more than 960 hours during the contract.

At least one La Verne resident, said the practice doesn’t bother her.

“There’s so much corruption in our government that this to me is small potatoes,” said La Verne resident and retired Cal Poly employee G. Leanne Hall. “Just because you retire, there’s nothing prohibiting you from getting a job elsewhere. I would like to draw salaries from two places.”