Majority of top-paid Phoenix city employees are cops

"You don't go into policing because you want to become incredibly wealthy," Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in an interview last year with Arizona's Family.

But you might get a pretty sweet payout when you leave the force.

According to Phoenix’s employee compensation data, six police department employees were among the top 10 highest-paid employees in 2024, each raking in at least $345,000. According to the department, all six have retired or transitioned into unpaid roles.

The troubled police department’s employees dominate the top 10 every year going back to 2016, which are the oldest records offered by Phoenix's Open Data website.

Why so much? Included in the city’s data are salaries, overtime, shift differential and leave payouts, among other forms of compensation.

Even beyond the top 10, police officers consistently make up the lion’s share of top earners. Twenty of the highest-paid city employees worked for Phoenix police last year. Of the 424 big kahuna employees who made more than $200,000, nearly 60% were cops. They include senior police leadership but also a mix of lieutenants, sergeants and rank-and-file officers.

The department is known for making huge overtime payouts to officers.

But the two highest earners of the year weren’t cops. Executive Assistant Fire Chief Scott Walker made more than $439,000 last year when he left after 31 years to take a top position in Waco, Texas. He surpassed City Manager Jeff Barton, the city’s top non-elected official, by about $7,500.


By comparison, police Chief Michael Sullivan, the city's top cop, made about $260,000 last year. Gallego, whose salary is capped by city code, made $89,438. Most members of the Phoenix City Council made between $67,000 and $69,000.

Here are the 10 highest-paid city of Phoenix employees in 2024:

1. Executive Assistant Fire Chief Scott Walker: $439,146
Walker left the department after 31 years to become chief of the Waco Fire Department.

2. City Manager Jeff Barton: $431,734
Since October 2021, Barton has been the man at the helm of the ship. He oversees the “largest council-manager form of government in the United States.” according to the city’s website.

3. Police Lt. John White: $423,642
White retired last year, according to the department. He was given an “employee excellence” award by Barton in May.

4. Police Lt. Eric Pagone: $412,818
Pagone retired last year and became a reserve officer, an unpaid position.

5. Police Lt. Mark Tovar Sr.: $403,818
Tovar retired and became an unpaid volunteer.

6. Police Lt. George Ramirez: $393,514
Ramirez retired in 2024, according to Phoenix police.

7. Police Cmdr. Brian Patrick Freudenthal: $364,423
Freudenthal left the department in 2024, becoming the police chief of Cottonwood, a small town between Sedona and Jerome.

8. Assistant City Manager Lori Bays: $359,746
Bays is one of Phoenix's most powerful officials. She’s worked for Phoenix since 2018, when she became human resources director.

9. Fire Captain David Follett: $349,640
Follett retired after 29 years with the Phoenix Fire Department.

10. Police Sgt. Brian Bachorski: $345,618
Bachorski retired in 2024.