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I would add "police" to the list of critically important yet comically underpaid professions.
by cel1ne 10y ago
I would add "police" to the list of critically important yet comically underpaid professions.
- gaius 10y agoWell there is a paradox at work here. You need to pay any sort official enough that they aren't desperate for bribes, but not so much that you attract people into the job motivated by personal enrichment. Read "Systems of Survival" by Jane Jacobs for a good study of this.
- cel1ne 10y agoI agree. In return for the higher pay, I'm in favour of much stronger selection, screening and higher penalties for wrong-doing.
- jzwinck 10y agoWhich is better motivation for a police officer? Personal enrichment, or the chance to use weapons, violence, and deception for advantage--once common delights now so rare!
- jazzyk 10y agoBeing a policeman can be a tough, dangerous job. But I don't think they are underpaid, at least not in Massachusetts - Police Trooper, 1st class can make $130K-$180K. They also get generous pensions (state employees).
- ryandrake 10y agoYea, top ones. This sounds like the same old argument: "A handful of top programmers at Google make $300k! Therefore programmers in general make a lot."
- jazzyk 10y agoThere are ~1800 police officers (out of 3185 listed in the DB) in MA alone who make > $100K [1]. Not too shabby either. Also, to make $300K at Google you have to be a genius, to make $200K as a State Trooper, no college degree is required, only some seniority and overtime. [1] http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/03/massachusetts_state_employee_salary_database_2015.html?appSession=95147227184811268029989767586954614584181196174987987482089076529120348108380722573479813521533500576706445510995314684093721343 http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/03/massachus...
- nilkn 10y agoThis does not look underpaid at all to me: http://www.sjpd.org/joinsjpdblue/SalaryBenefits.html http://www.sjpd.org/joinsjpdblue/SalaryBenefits.html