Police in New Jersey are the highest paid in the entire country, according to a lengthy report and data analysis by The Star-Ledger.
But, in the one city where violent crime ranks highest -- Camden -- those officers, on average, are among the lowest-paid municipal police officers in the entire state.
Some of the report's key findings:
- The average municipal police officer in New Jersey made $89,630 last year. The average Joe-Citizen made $50,313.
- Three out of 10 officers made over $100,000 in 2009.
- Suburban cops make the most money.
In Camden, routinely among the country’s most violent cities, the median salary was $79,656 last year.
Richard Loccke, a Hackensack labor attorney who represents several local police unions, said poorer areas have long paid their officers less.
"That’s a conundrum that nobody’s gotten by," he said. "(Are salaries) based on the ability to pay, or is it based on the type of work?"