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A CT city police captain earned $270K in 2023. Here’s what others earned amid $17M in overtime

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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.

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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.

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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.

Hartford Police Department

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.”

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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.



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Connecticut

Gruesome scene found in CT home where man allegedly killed his wife. Teen son called police.

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Gruesome scene found in CT home where man allegedly killed his wife. Teen son called police.


A man accused of killing his wife during a domestic dispute Friday was found by police on top of the victim as officers entered the couple’s home and discovered the woman was suffering from a serious wound to her throat, according to the police report.

Ding Sheng Lin, 50, of Simsbury, is charged in the killing of his wife, 49-year-old Qui Rongfang. His 18-year-old son called 911 upon hearing an argument in their Wildwood Road home and what sounded like someone calling for help before he heard “gurgling sounds,” the police report said.

Lin is charged with one count of murder and held in custody pending his arraignment hearing on Monday in Hartford Superior Court.

According to the report, officers were called to the couple’s home at 11:18 a.m. after Lin’s son reported hearing an argument. The first officers on the scene encountered Lin covered in blood and told him to come downstairs.

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Police wrote in the report that Lin ignored police and ran into a bedroom and shut the door. Officers kicked the door in and found him on top of a woman who was later identified as Rongfang, the report said. A boxcutter was found nearby on the floor.

The woman was suffering from a serious puncture or slash wound to her throat and was given medical attention at the scene, which included an occlusive dressing and pressure being applied to her wound, the report said.

Rongfang stopped breathing and lost her pulse at one point, so officers began administering chest compressions. She was rushed to Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford where she was pronounced dead at 1:36 p.m.

Lin was taken into custody at the scene. He requested a lawyer and was not interviewed by investigators, the report said.

Police used a Mandarin translator to complete the booking process, as officers noted that Lin only had a basic understanding of English.

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According to the report, Lin’s son said he was woken up by an argument between his father and Rongfang. The relationship between the son and Lin’s wife was not made clear in a redacted version of the police report.

During the argument, the son said he sent a text message to his sister letting her know about the dispute, which he said turned into a physical fight, according to the report. The son told police he heard “heavy foot stomping and movement” and someone crying for help. When he called out asking what the couple was doing, he said he got no response and only heard “gurgling sounds,” the report said.

The teen said he was too scared to go check on what was happening.

According to the report, officers noted that some of the blood on Lin appeared to be drying by the time police got into the home. Police said they believe he may have stopped attacking the woman until officers arrived at the home, at which point he allegedly resumed his assault, the report said.

Doctors told police Rongfang likely died from a deep laceration to her throat that caused hemorrhaging, according to the report. One of the wounds was so deep that it reached her spinal cord, police wrote.

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An autopsy later showed that Rongfang had a combination of slash and stab wounds to her neck, as well as a laceration on her head behind her ear and what appeared to be defensive wounds to her hands, the report said. The autopsy showed that the wounds were caused by a sharp blade.

The autopsy did not show any signs of strangulation, which led police to believe the sounds the teen heard were likely the victim trying to scream, according to the report.

Police noted in the report that a brief check of the address where the killing occurred showed no prior domestic history between Lin and Rongfang.



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On the horizon: A new Connecticut River crossing for walkers and cyclists

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On the horizon: A new Connecticut River crossing for walkers and cyclists


Cyclists and pedestrians will have a new route across the Connecticut River starting next month, when the opening of the long-awaited multi-purpose trail along the Putnam Bridge creates a scenic connection between Wethersfield and Glastonbury.

Contractors have completed the roughly 1.4-mile paved trail, and the state transportation department expects to open it in mid-May.

“People are going to enjoy it. There probably won’t be a deluge of people going to either town, but I think it will surprise some people how often it gets used,” said Kevin T. Sullivan, co-founder of Bike Walk Wethersfield, a prominent advocacy group for cyclists and pedestrians.

The project took two years and has spurred planners in both towns to look for ways to link established cycling routes to what is being called the Putnam Bridge Trail.

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The new pedestrian and cycling trail on the Putnam Bridge between Glastonbury and Wethersfield. (Courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation)

Walkers and cyclists will be able to go from Great Meadow Road in Wethersfield to Naubuc Avenue in Glastonbury.

The Putnam carries about 55,000 cars and trucks each day, but until now non-motorized traffic had to take an 8-mile trip to the Charter Oak Bridge in Hartford to cross the river. Alternatives to the south required an even greater detour: 26 miles to the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown and back, or else 11 miles to the seasonal Glastonbury-Rocky Hill ferry.

The new Putnam Bridge Trail between Glastonbury and Wethersfield. (Courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation)
The new Putnam Bridge Trail between Glastonbury and Wethersfield. (Courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation)

The plan is for trail connections on the east side of the river to reach the Goodwin College trails in East Hartford, while on the west side Wethersfield planners are putting together a temporary route to Main Street in Old Wethersfield.

Eventually the town plans a permanent, dedicated trail for that, and Wethersfield officials are meeting in May to give a public update about progress.

Sullivan said recreational riders can do 10- or 15-mile rides using connector routes from the bridge trail, but said he anticipates that most of the use will be from people traveling locally.

“I’ve heard from quite a few people regionally who are excited about it, but I don’t know if they’re planning to ride it or they’re just happy to have more trail connections,” he said Thursday. “My personal bet is that more people will be using it for everyday transportation.”

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Wethersfield resident Joseph Sica, who was out riding near the oil tanks along the river recently, said he’s looking forward to the bridge route opening. But he questioned whether there will be enough routes to connect with after getting to the other side.

“Sometimes I do 10 miles a day. I like going over a bridge, so I’ll definitely go over to the other side. But there really aren’t many places to go over there, so maybe I’ll just turn around and come back,” Sica said.

Early corrosion on the underside of the Putnam Bridge. A large-scale rehabilitation job in 2026 and 2027 will address this. (Courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation and TranSystems)
Early corrosion on the underside of the Putnam Bridge. A large-scale rehabilitation job in 2026 and 2027 will address this. (Courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation and TranSystems)

With the trail work done, the state department of transportation is now turning its attention to a makeover for the bridge itself.

In a presentation earlier this month, DOT planners said they anticipate launching a major rehabilitation project in the spring 2026 that will run through the end of 2027.

The bridge is 64 years old and is suffering corrosion that needs to be addressed, the DOT said. The plan is to replace any deficient structural elements and make repairs to extend its life by 20 to 25 years.

The Putnam isn’t at risk right now, but overall gets just a five rating — “fair” — on a scale of one (imminent failure) to nine (excellent), according to Tracey Brais, a DOT project manager, and Ron Sacchi, project manager for the GM2 consulting firm.

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Corrosion on the Putnam Bridge will be addressed by a two-year rehabilitation project planned by the state transportation department. (Courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation and TranSystems.)
Corrosion on the Putnam Bridge will be addressed by a two-year rehabilitation project planned by the state transportation department. (Courtesy of Connecticut Department of Transportation and TranSystems.)

“There appears to be some seepage through the deck that’s starting to produce corrosion,” Sacchi said.

Workers will replace expansion joints, patch the deck, strengthen steel support elements, strip the asphalt off the bridge deck and repave the roadway, the DOT said.

The four-lane bridge will be repaired in stages, with one lane in each direction kept open and most lane closures limited to nights and weekends, the DOT said.

“When we’re doing top of the deck repairs, we’ll probably have to close one lane in each direction,” Sacchi said. “If more lane closures are required it might involve a weekend closure that would involve a detour over the Charter Oak Bridge. At this point, we are not expecting any long-term closures or long-term detours.”

Federal grants will pay 80% of the cost, with Connecticut covering the other 20%. Brais said planners are still evaluating the cost, which could vary from a base of $31.4 million to slightly more than double that if the entire bridge undergoes repainting.

The cost of removing the bridge’s existing lead paint makes up most of the difference, largely because contractors would need to use a containment system to prevent contamination from falling paint chips.

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Connecticut Among Leading States in Attracting Remote Workers to Relocate Here — Connecticut by the Numbers

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Connecticut Among Leading States in Attracting Remote Workers to Relocate Here — Connecticut by the Numbers


Among remote workers in 2022, the most recent full-year data available, Connecticut saw 20,506 remote workers moving in to the state, and about half that many – 10,653 – moving out of the state, for a net of 9,8453 moving in.  Connecticut also faired well in the number of on-site workers moving in, with 66,400, versus 33,781 moving out.  The new increase in on-site workers moving in ranked third highest in the nation, according to the data compiled. Only Florida and Texas ranked higher.

California, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Illinois ranked as the five least popular states for relocating remote workers.  Massachusetts experienced a net loss of 12,553 relocating remote workers.

In reviewing the data on migration of remote workers by generation, Connecticut ranked 3rd with Gen Z, and 6th with Millennials, the two youngest demographic categories.  The state ranked 28th with Gen X, and 13th with Boomers.  Nationwide, more than 50% of remote workers moving are millennials, according to the research, Yardi Cube reported. 



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