TEMPE, Ariz. — Tempe's former police chief will be paid $165,000 in 2008 but will be required to do no work, the second year in a row he'll be paid but do minimal or no work for the city.
Ralph Tranter told the East Valley Tribune that he earned the pay by putting in three decades in law enforcement and contributing to the city.
"That, I guess, is my benefit for serving the city for 30 years," Tranter told the paper on Monday.
Tranter retired from his post in December, 2006 and was granted a contract by then-city manager Will Manley that continued to pay him to ensure a "smooth and seamless" transition to his successor.
But Tranter's role was quickly redefined and he's had little involvement in the police department and barely spoken to his replacement, Chief Tom Ryff, during the past year.
Instead, Tranter was paid his former salary of $165,237 to serve as executive director of the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police. In 2008, he will no longer be required to work at all, as he collects income for unused sick and vacation time.
When the contract was announced, critics questioned the wisdom of having two police chiefs on the city's payroll and said such a costly agreement should have gone before the City Council.
City officials said the unusual arrangement was needed so Tranter could help the new chief.
But that experience was never tapped. Instead Manley arranged to have him so head up the chiefs group that addresses a wide variety of law enforcement issues. He lobbied on the organization's behalf on issues such as immigration and unfunded mandates.
Ryff declined to comment. After being named police chief in November 2006 he immediately began reorganizing the department. Since Ryff took over and focused on aggressive enforcement, crime dropped 8.4 percent in the first nine months of the year and violent crime fell 17.5 percent.
Tranter worked in nearly every police post in Tempe and won numerous awards, including a "Conduct in the Line of Duty" recognition after he was shot in 1986.
His last year as chief was tainted by an investigation by his own department. The report concluded he violated ethical standards by writing a letter asking court officials to consider probation for a councilwoman's son who faced marijuana cultivation charges.
Tranter defended his work in the past year, saying he logged many hours putting together a strategic plan for the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police, lobbying at the state capitol, organizing regional associations, developing law enforcement training and traveling throughout Arizona for conferences.
Wire Service
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
Wire Service
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops