Detail dollars make an economic impact for police

For some police officers, the extra money earned from off-duty details can make a major economic difference.

The importance of details is a particularly sensitive topic as Houma officers lobby the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government for pay increases to which Parish President Michel Claudet has thus far chosen not to commit.

The impact of details on officer income is readily evident, from data supplied by parish officials.

In 2014, a total of 62 Houma officers of all ranks earned $319,608.75 in detail pay, an average of a little over $5,000 annually per officer. They worked 6,212 hours, the equivalent of three years of steady full-time work for one person.

Ten officers made a paltry $100 to $500 each for the year. But others racked up significant income.

The detail cash champ of 2014 was Police Officer Shannon Prestenbach, whose 809 off-duty hours – the equivalent of twenty 40-hour work-weeks – resulted in $20,345 of extra pay.

Daniel Belanger earned $17,742.50 for 707.3 hours of work. Capt. Milton Wolfe worked 639 detail hours and earned $15,975.

Only a few other officers earned detail dollars in the five-figure category.

Not all of the detail hours are spent providing security at weddings, events at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center or crowd control at special events. Others are assigned to meet the requirements of special grants for traffic safety, seatbelt checks and extra patrols.

Many city police officers have garnered worthy reputations for working details conscientiously, some staying even after the required time to make sure that a job is done without charging, and generally doing whatever it takes to keep the customer satisfied.