Connecticut
A CT city police captain earned $270K in 2023. Here’s what others earned amid $17M in overtime
It’s a pattern seen in many police departments across Connecticut: officers earn much higher than their base pay.
Police Capt. Jeffrey Rousseau was Hartford’s top wage-earner in 2023, earning $266,751 in “regular” pay, which includes extra duty work and $2,889 in overtime, city records show.
His regular pay, as with others on the list of top earners, includes base salary, special duty pay, payouts and anything else besides overtime.
Rousseau was among 10 police officers, 10 fire department employees and five city administrators on the top 25 list of municipal earners.
Most of the police and firefighters in the top 25 list boosted their income with overtime and/or extra, or special, duty pay in an era when police departments nationwide are experiencing staff shortages. Special duty is paid by outside businesses and agencies.
Police were heavy with overtime throughout the 2023 payroll year, but beyond the top 25 wage earners, overtime in the Fire Department was much less common.
One of the fire department exceptions was Derrick Frink, heavy equipment mechanic, who earned $67,446 in regular pay and $63,656 in OT, records show.
In total, regular pay for the 2023 payroll was about $120 million, and more than $17 million in overtime.
Some people on the full city payroll list of about 2,160 people earned more than their base pay — or close to it — in overtime.
For instance, police officer Adam Demaine, who is not on the top 25 list, earned $88,257 in regular pay and $104,811 in overtime.
Former Mayor Luke Bronin was No. 9 on the list at $189,261.
Outgoing Police Chief Jason Thody, who did not make the top 25 earners’ list, did not respond to calls seeking comment. Thody was No. 35 on the wage-earner list at $160,620 in regular pay.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said the city is working hard to “recruit and retain” officers amid the shortage for the sake of public safety and decreasing “the impact of overtime.”
But it’s a complex issue that’s not so easy to achieve, said Hartford Police Union President Sgt. James Rutkauski.
He said the department is about 100 officers short, more than ever, and its likely negatively affecting coverage of Hartford and definitely affecting morale, making it difficult to retain even veteran officers.
“It’s like a snowball effect,” Rutkauski said. “It wears on you.” All the OT is not “physically, mentally or spiritually good for them,” he said.
Some officers like to earn more money through overtime, but shortage of officers is creating more overtime than officers who want to work extra, he said.
In some cases officers have been ordered to work extra, in some cases on their days off, he said.
Other times officers agree to work overtime for the sake of their colleagues and the city, but would rather not and are feeling sleep deprived and missing more holidays and family events than they would like, he said.
Rutkauski said after he works three, 16-hour shifts with with five hours of sleep in between each, he’s feeling “punchy.’
“We have to find a balance,” he said.
On top of the shortage and morale problems it helps create, Hartford pays less than many other municipalities where there are less serious crimes to deal with on a daily basis, and therefore less stress,he said.
Another factor officers now consider is the liability created by the state police accountability law, which holds them personally responsible if it’s determined that a person’s constitutional rights were violated.
Higher pay, better working conditions and liability are among the top reasons police officers leave Hartford, he said.
He said one incentive the city could offer would be retention bonuses to try to get officers to stay.
Police officers have a high rate of divorce and health issues stemming from the job, he said, and long work hours can contribute.
“They sacrifice so much. It scares me to think, what if we didn’t have these men and women?” Rutkauski said.
He said the current generation “has a different monetary earning philosophy,” going for life balance, rather than racking up overtime.
Rutkauski said some people are afraid to come to Hartford, for instance to shop or do business, and having more police is part of the solution.
“If you want to change the narrative (in Hartford) you have to have people safe,” he said.
He said in the coming years there will be a “tsunami” of retirements coming up on the force.
Policing expert John DeCarlo, a former Connecticut police chief and now a University of New Haven professor and director of the Masters Program in Criminal Justice at UNH, said he can’t speak to Hartford, but generally, the top wage earner lists nationwide have a “healthy representation” of police and fire personnel.
DeCarlo said the nationwide officer shortages result in the need for more overtime to keep the public safe and in some cases, fulfill contractual requirements related to the union.
“It (staff shortages) makes more opportunity for people who want to work a lot of overtime,” DeCarlo said. “The motivation for OT is individual. Not everyone wants it, other people make it a habit.”
The Courant obtained the list of all city employees and their earnings for 2023 through a freedom of information act request. The 2022 list also was led by police officers.
In this case the category ” regular pay” refers to base pay and any other that isn’t overtime, including sick, comp, vacation, payouts and extra duty work. Extra duty work is not funded by city coffers.
Here is the list of top 25 2023 wage earners in order, aside from Rousseau and Bronin, who are named above.
- Christopher Henry, Fire Department, alarm and signal system superintendent. Regular pay was $228,586 with no overtime.
- Mario Oquendo, District Fire Chief, $223,613, with no OT.
- Police Capt. Michael Coates, regular pay was $219,875 and OT was $ 948.
- Police Capt. Gabriel Laureano, made regular pay of $ 216,788 and $904 in OT.
- Deputy Fire Chief Adam Guertin made $ 207,739 with no OT.
- Deputy Fire Chief Kenneth Kowal made $ 196,012, and no OT.
- City Chief Operating Officer Thea Montanez made $192,356.
- Pension Commission employee Gary Draghi made$ 188,529.
- Deputy Fire Chief James York made $187,965, with no OT.
- Fire Capt. Jeffrey Greene made $ 187,422 with no OT.
- Library CEO Bridget Quinn made $182,266.
- Police Capt. Jan Powell, made $ 181,548, with OT of $ 926.
- Police officer Domenick Agostino made regular pay of $ 180,264 and OT $30,238
- Fire Capt., special services Jose Rivera, made regular pay of $ 180,233 and no OT.
- Police Lt. Luis Ruiz, made regular psy of $180,208 and OT of $ 29,253.
- District Fire Chief Kyle Krupa made regular pay of $175,884 and no OT.
- Police officer Corey Daugherty made regular pay of $174,415 and OT of $43,938.
- Deputy Fire Chief, training, James Errickson, classified on the list under “police” earned $172,401 in regular pay with no OT.
- Police officer Adnan Hodzic earned regular pay of $172,113 and OT of $71,276.
- Police officer Justin Bankston earned regular pay of $169,889 and $32,479 in OT.
- District Fire Chief Richard Driscoll earned $169,257 with no OT.
- Chief Financial Officer of Developmental Services Leigh Ann Ralls earned $166,067.
- District Fire Chief Gerald Sisco earned $165,654 with no OT.
The Connecticut high school football’s CIAC postseason wrapped up with the state championships this past weekend on Saturday.
Finishing in the No. 1 spot in this week’s final Top 25 rankings out of the Constitution State is Avon Old Farms after they defeated The Williston Northampton School, 35-21, in the Drew Gamere Bowl to end their season a few weeks ago. New Canaan sits right behind as they repeated as Class L champs. Which other teams from around Connecticut high school football deserves to be in the final set of Top 25 rankings for the 2025 campaign?
The Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.
Here are the last Connecticut high school football rankings for 2025, according to Massey as of Dec. 14.
1. Avon Old Farms Beavers
Avon Old Farms (10-0) opened up the Connecticut high school football season by avenging a loss to Brunswick School from last season and have set the tone for the rest of the campaign. The Beavers have a talented offense that’s averaging 40.7 points per game, led by quarterback Matthew Baer, running back Kharon Craig, and offensive tackle Charlie Thom (Notre Dame commitment).
The Beavers have concluded their season play out of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Counci (NEPSAC) when they defeated The Williston Northampton School last week in the Drew Gamere Bowl, 35-21. Avon Old Farms finishes as the No. 1 team in the Connecticut high school football rankings.
2. New Canaan Rams
The defending Class L state champion New Canaan Rams (13-0) have done it once again as they defeated Cheshire, 34-13.
The Rams have won back to back playoff games versus Darien and Weaver with ease, winning by a combined 85-13. New Canaan won its 16th state championship in head coach Lou Marinelli’s legendary career. With the win, New Canaan clinched their fourth undefeated season in program history for the Rams (1968, 1969, 2008, 2025).
New Canaan has used a high-powered offense to cruise past opponents this fall, with quarterback Maddox Hoffman throwing for 1,936 yards and 21 touchdowns. Running back Henry Stein leads the ground game as he’s rushed for 916 yards and seven touchdowns.
3. Choate Rosemary Hall Wild Boars
Choate Rosemary Hall (8-2) saw its 18-game winning streak snapped back in Week 1 when they lost against New Hampshire’s Phillips Exeter Academy in a battle of top-ranked teams in their respective states.
The Wild Boars will finish likely within the Top 5 of the rankings after they ended their 2025 season in exciting fashion as they avenged that defeat by beating Phillips Exeter Academy in the Leon Modeste Bowl in a 44-42 thriller.
In 2024, the Wild Boars had completed their second consecutive perfect season after defeating Brunswick School. They have lost only four games over the last four Connecticut high school football seasons and only allowed only four opponent to score double digits.
The Wild Boars are another prep school that features multiple future Division I players, including Tanner Raymond (Rutgers) and interior offense lineman Will Tellers.
4. St. Thomas More Chancellors
St. Thomas More (1-3) remain steady as the No. 3 team in our latest set of Connecticut high school football rankings after a 50-21 loss to New Jersey’s No. 3 team, Hun School to end their season.
The Chancellors only losses from the 2024 season came against Maryland’s St. Frances Academy, Hun School, and Florida’s IMG Academy, respectively. St. Thomas More doesn’t have anymore scheduled games left on their 2025 slate.
Among the players the Chancellors feature on their roster are four-star edge rusher Alhassan Iddrissu (UCF), cornerback Terron Johnson, running back Malichi Greaves, and linebacker Christian King.
5. Daniel Hand Tigers
The Daniel Hand Tigers (13-1) has dominated in the Class SS playoffs, dominating all three opponents by a combined score of 122-32, after defeating the Killingly Trailblazers, 37-13, on Saturday.
Fueling the Daniel Hand offensive attack is the strong play of senior signal caller Bobby Reh, who has thrown for 2,194 yards and 29 touchdowns to only three mere picks. Junior running back Lucca Boyce leads the ground game with 1,272 yards and 14 touchdowns.
6. St Joseph (8-2)
7. Cheshire Academy (7-3)
8. Windsor (12-1)
9. Brunswick School (6-4)
10. Greenwich (8-2)
11. Newtown (8-2)
12. Killingly (11-1)
13. Fairfield College Preparatory (8-2)
14. Wilton (10-2)
15. The Taft School (5-4)
16. Bunnell (10-3)
17. Kingswood-Oxford School (8-2)
18. Berlin (12-0)
19. The Loomis Chaffee School (3-6)
20. Darien (6-5)
21. Brookfield (8-3)
22. Staples (5-5)
23. Cheshire (8-3)
24. Southington (7-3)
25. Mark T. Sheehan (10-3)
For Connecticut high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Constitution State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the Connecticut high school scores and football rankings.
VESTAL, NY (WBNG) — In a second straight doubleheader Saturday following up a Bearcats women’s win, the Bearcats men’s team dropped their second consecutive home game, 84-67 to Central Connecticut State.
In a closely contested matchup early on, the Bearcats stayed in it heading into the break only trailing by seven points.
In the second half, Binghamton brought it to within four points before the Blue Devils pulled away once again and went on an 11-0 run and went up by as much as 20 points.
Darin Smith Jr. finished with a game high, 23 points for the Blue Devils.
The Bearcats were without center, Demetrius Lilley which led to junior forward, Zyier Beverly, having an increased role.
Beverly led Binghamton with 21 points and five rebounds.
After back-to-back losses at home, the Bearcats now go on the road for a three game road stretch starting on Wednesday, Dec. 17 against Pittsburgh at 7p.m.
Copyright 2025 WBNG. All rights reserved.
New Canaan faces Cheshire in the 2025 Connecticut high school Class L football state championship on Saturday afternoon.
The game begins at 4 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 13, at Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut.
The game will stream live on the NFHS Network.
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What: Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Class L football championship
Who: New Canaan vs. Cheshire
When: Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025
Where: Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut
Time: 4 p.m. EST
Stream: NFHS Network
Tickets: $11,50
Record, MaxPrep state rankings: New Canaan 12-0, No. 1; Cheshire 9-3, No. 11
Here’s more information about the game from the Hartford Courant, via the Tribune News Service:
New Canaan is going for its 16th state title and fourth straight under veteran coach Lou Marinelli and New Canaan outscored its playoff opponents, 85-13. Cheshire’s last finals appearance was 2009, when coach Don Drust was an assistant for the Rams’ team, which beat Staples in overtime to win a Class LL title. Cheshire rallied from a 19-point deficit against Fairfield Ludlowe to win the Class L quarterfinal game and beat Ridgefield 21-0 in the semifinals. QB Aiden Gregorich’s pass to Liam Suomala proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds left in the quarterfinal.
What is the NFHS Network?
The NFHS Network covers more than 30 sports across the country. NFHS Network costs $13.99 per month or $79.99 per year.
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