Village Police Chief Receives $1 Million and Nearly $15,000 a Month in Pension
OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. — Old Westbury village records show Police Chief Daniel Duggan retired last year with a severance package worth over $1 million.
Retired Old Westbury Police Chief Daniel Duggan
Duggan, a 40-year veteran, received $1,061,937 after cashing in hundreds of unused sick and personal days. Old Westbury police receive 5 paid days off a year, and when Duggan retired his annual salary was $285,286.
Duggan reportedly commented on the payout in a brief interview conducted by Nicole Fuller for Newsday:
“I spent 40 years in this police department. It was time I earned, and you’re paid for your time. What am I supposed to say, ‘I don’t want this?’ I didn’t negotiate the contract.”
In addition to the severance package, Duggan also receives about $14,800 each month in pension payout.
Old Westbury Mayor Fred Carillo has claimed the huge payouts have not put financial strain on the village, despite Duggan’s severance accounting for 13 percent of the village’s $8.1 million payroll budget. The village of Old Westbury has 63 government employees, and a population of less than 5,000.
The most recent records available from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice showed the Old Westbury police investigated a total of 29 larcenies, six burglaries, four motor vehicle thefts, and one aggravated assault for the entirety of 2013.
