As reported by nj.com, Port Authority police officers earn far more than counterparts from most surrounding local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including 57 percent more than New Jersey State Troopers, according to a report from an independent watchdog group.
The Citizens Budget Commission also found that officers of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey earn 32 percent more than New York State Troopers, 25-48 percent more than officers in urban municipal police departments, and 23 percent more than federal agents in the region.
In issuing the report, the CBC called for tougher bargaining by the bi-state agency’s management in current talks with the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association union. “With negotiations underway, now is the time to focus on appropriate compensation levels for the Port Authority police force,” said Carol Kellermann, president of the CBC, a private, non-profit group based in New York City. “Based on this analysis, the next contract for Port Authority officers should make progress in aligning their pay to that of officers in large urban departments in the region.”
Most criticism of Port Authority police spending has focused on what critics say is excessive overtime spending, an issue the agency says it has tried to address.
Port Authority police officers patrol the agency’s Hudson River and Staten Island crossings, the region’s major airports, PATH system, shipping ports and other Port Authority facilities.