The Tax‐​Defying DC Detective

One of the most read articles on today’s Washington Post website tells the story of a DC detective who tried to get away with not paying federal income taxes. Here’s what caught my eye:

But federal prosecutors said the 18‐​year law enforcement officer — who earned $180,000 in 2005, most of it in overtime — should have known better.

$180,000? Wow — that’s a lot of taxpayer money for a single police officer. In addition, the odds are pretty good this fellow is going to receive extremely generous retirement benefits, which taxpayers will also be on the hook for. That he apparently earned the bulk of his salary in overtime also made me wince. I recall from my days in a state budget agency that the state police liked to play the same game. Thus, I find it irritating when state and local government officials discuss laying off police officers during an economic downturn and the media pay little or no attention to the salaries and benefits these folks are receiving.