A group of retiring California police chiefs have been collecting payments reaching as much as $600,000, in one case, for cashed-out sick and vacation time.
El Monte Police Chief Thomas Armstrong, who oversaw 120 officers, received nearly $430,000 when he retired in 2011 at age 56, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Other chiefs have received big payouts, including Roy Campos, Downey's former police chief, who was paid $594,000 in 2009 after cashing out more than 3,300 hours of unused sick and vacation time.
The same year, Monterey Park's outgoing chief, Jones Moy, earned $531,000, including cash-outs of about 2,700 unused hours. In 2010, Santa Clara's police chief, Steve Lodge, left his job with almost $600,000 in total pay thanks to a variety of cash-outs.
Read other stories about police retirement benefits here.
