7 Boston cops earned more than $500,000 last year

Employees at the Boston Police Department garnered the highest pay among city staff in 2024, with seven earning more than a half a million dollars.

The city’s payroll data show, out of its top 100 earners, 91 worked for the Boston police and each made more than $380,000 when combining their base pay, overtime, retroactive pay and other compensation.

Boston police regularly top the list of highest earning city employees. As salaries reach new heights, fiscal watchdogs question how much compensation is too much for a city employee.

"There's no doubt their jobs aren't easy. There's no doubt they should be compensated fairly,” said Paul Craney, executive director of the conservative Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

“But that doesn't mean you give them a half a million dollars a year…” Craney said. “I think that's more money than what the president of the United States makes.”

The president’s salary, as decided by Congress, is set at $400,000. The city’s mayor, Michelle Wu, earned $207,000 in 2024.

It is not uncommon for police and other first responders to rank among a municipality’s highest-paid public employees. And many cities gave their officers raises in 2023 to improve retention.

In Boston, the largest police union signed a new contract in 2023 after working without an agreement since 2020. The five-year contract represents a 21% cost increase to the city. It provides cost-of-living adjustments ranging from 1 to 2.5% annually, as well as retroactive pay for that time working without an agreement (which is reflected in 2024's pay).

The city spent $160 million more for police personnel in 2024 than in 2023, which is a 38% increase. About $79 million of that sum was in retroactive pay.

The city’s data also shows the department had 480 more employees than it did the year before. Total overtime and paid details for police also increased.

Boston police lieutenant detective Stanley Demesmin topped the list, bringing home $575,583 in total pay. City data shows he's been among the top earners for the last couple years. Demesmin did not respond to request for comment.

A city spokesperson said the city adheres to union contracts and state law and has a responsibility to pay officers overtime and other compensation.

“Boston is the safest major city in the country, and we will continue to work with our police department and police unions to ensure public safety is a top priority," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The president of Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, Larry Calderone, pointed to the new contract when he endorsed Mayor Wu for re-election earlier this month.

Representatives from that union and the Boston Police Department did not respond to requests for comment.

The city’s payroll data shows personnel costs across all departments increased from 2023 to 2024 about 13%, to a total of $2.4 billion.

Craney said the city should put systems in place to ensure no city employee is “making more than what’s reasonable in the market.”