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Assistant sheriff retires making more than Carona
September 19th, 2008, 6:45 am · 103 Comments · posted by Jennifer Muir
One of the last members of indicted Sheriff Mike Carona’s executive team retired last month, and it looks like he’s going to be collecting more money throughout his golden years than his former boss.
Assistant Sheriff Charles Walters was the last Carona executive hire left on staff after the sheriff retired amid federal charges that he was using his office to collect cash and gifts from friends in exchange for favors.
In case you don’t remember, Walters was in charge of the the sheriff’s jail operations in Oct. 2006 when inmate John Derek Chamberlain was beaten to death by other inmates at Theo Lacy jail. While Chamberlain was being attacked, jail guards 68 feet away were busy watching television and text messaging. (Walters is pictured above in May, giving a tour at Theo Lacy.)
In his last 12 months at the department, Walters earned a total of $343,033.61, including base pay (most recently at $92.86/hour), payouts from all the vacation and sick hours he’s accumulated since he started working at the department 33 years ago, holiday comp time and an auto allowance.
With the help of some employees at the county’s retirement system, The Watchdog has estimated that $224,564 of that cash is eligible to be considered in calculating his retirement benefit. We crunched the numbers in the county’s retirement calculator, which tells us that Walters is collecting about $18,714 a month or $223,218 a year in retirement.
Yes, that’s only about $1,300 less per year than he was making while working.
The Watchdog reported in July that Carona is collecting $207,979/year since he left the department … also about the same amount of cash he was pocketing while on the job.
So The Watchdog was curious: Did someone sweeten the pot to get Walters to retire?
We called Walters first, and he declined to talk about it.
Called the Sheriff’s Department second. Spokesman John McDonald would say only that no one forced Walters out–he left on his own accord.
Brooke De Baca from the county CEO’s office helped provide some insight. De Baca confirmed that Walters got two raises in 2008: A 2 percent raise in January, and a 3 percent raise in June.
Both were scheduled increases given at the same time as other employees. And none of the raises included increases to the extra pay Walters could collect.
In case you’re curious, though, here’s a breakdown of the extras from this year that helped him cash out so much dough in 2008:
- Auto allowance: $6,835.72
- Holiday comp pay: $13,369.28
- Optional Benefit: $4,500.00
- Sick leave retirement payout: $56,115.30*
- Sick leave annual payout: $27,542.28
- Vacation Annual Payout: $3,606.40
- Vacation Retirement Payout: $43,726.23
*(Note: According to the Orange County Employee Retirement System, exec employees with the same contract as Walters can only apply 96 hours of this payout toward retirement, which is about $8,914 based on his most recent pay rate).
All in all, The Watchdog is wondering if it’s too late to switch to a career in Criminal Justice.
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Wow, I never realized how many millionaires we were making of these retirees…on the backs and out of the pocket books of the OC taxpayers…is it my imagination or do we have the most over compensated law enforcement agency in the country?
I don’t mind paying the actual deputies that are out in the feild a good salary, they deserve it, but these bloated salaries for paper pushers and administrative folks…frustrating to hear…
Having been a friend of Charlie Walters for over 20 years I can say with conviction that Charlie spent 33 years of his life as a dedicated, hard working public servant who put the needs of the citizens of Orange County and the State of California before any of his own needs. He deserves every penny of his retirement pension just as a school teacher would or as a superior court judge would. He did nothing except excel at every level and every assignment he was given throughout his career. He was widely viewed as one of the most intelligent, articulate and accountable members of the OC Sheriff’s department, as well as being one of the easiest senior members of the department to talk to. Rank has its privilege and there isn’t any body that posts messages to these boards that would turn down any of the salary and perks associated with a position they attained through hard work, advanced education and dedication to duty. How many generals have you seen picking up a rifle and manning a post? Charlie wasn’t responsible for the death of John Chamberlain, but members of the division he ran were partially responsible through their lack of attention to their duty. He wasn’t a perfect man (the last one died on the cross a few thousand years ago), but he accepted responsibility and was always accountable for his actions and the actions of those subordinate to him. The events surrounding former Sheriff Mike Carona tarnished many careers in the Sheriff’s department and the fallout meant that the new Sheriff had to “clean house” in order to regain the public’s trust. With the exception of a few former senior members of the Sheriff’s department the men and women of the department are dedicated, selfless public servants who step into harms way to protect the public peace. If they didn’t who would? Instead of making snide comments about Charlie Walters you should simply say, “God speed Charlie, thank you for taking a stand against crime and protecting me and my family.”
Just sick…
And the State has to cut its spending because of our huge deficit.
Well, are they allowed to cut retirement benefits? No. So our kids’ schools get less money because the money is need to support a growing aging population in retirement. Maybe the criminal system should start a 401(k) program and take some responsibility of their own retirement like the rest of us.
F’ing outrageous - whats funny is if you cut that pay in half they would still do the same job! Most officers are uneducated and would have no where else to go anyways.
What a joke.
I wonder when all the defenders of the OCSD will be weighing in to defend this….. Vote for Moorlach
They pay unused sick time after you leave? I never heard of that before. Oh, I forgot I worked for private companies that can’t force people to pay my salary.
He certainly does look well-fed.
As Moorlach would say “thats just peanuts” OCERS is 7.7 BILLION strong whats 200,00+ for Walters retirement; remember what Moorlachs going to get when he only works his few years on the board, same as Walters who put in 33 years! Seem fair to you?
What is the big deal. Vacation and CTO is an earned benefit. Not to mention, sounds like the guy never called in sick. Why wouldn’t this be cashed out after 33 years of acruing it. To the dufus (AKA Uncle Bill) who said most deputies are uneducated, do your homework. By my count, more than half the police officers I know have degrees. Besides, when your wife is cowering on the closet floor with your 9 iron because there is a prowler, do you care the degree level of the person showing up while she cries on 911? Thats what I thought…
None of these outrageous retirement salaries are going to be sustainable anyway. Eventually, the retirement salaries will have to be greatly reduced in coming years as the County will be coping with less money from declining taxes.
ocpatroit152 you make it sound like its the wild wild west out there, I guess since OCSD is out there the prowlers are just too damn scared huh? You need to move to Utah with all the other people that think the barbarians are at the gate, if OCSD is the only thing between me n the bad gays I’ll take my chances with the bad guys
Jorants, you are suffering from apathy. Its OK, apathy is a big issue in OC. This is why LA criminals love to come to OC to commit crime. Overall, OC is pretty safe. This is due to maintenance of order from our government and police. You take your chances with the bad guys, thats one less of the over 100,000 calls for service OCSD will get this year.
You can always tell when a comment is posted from someone inside the sheriff’s department…..no one is putting down the deputies (or at least they shoudn’t be) its these outrageous post retirement lottery wins that we hate.
Think about it, this is what we are paying people NOT to work…Steve is right, we can’t change what has happened but must stop this insanity moving forward…Mr Moorlach, please stop this type of compensation for anyone putting in their papers from this point forward..DO SOMETHING!!!! I am tired of seeing these types of headlines in the Register every single day!
I personally know this man. A little info for those who think that people in law enforcment are uneducated. A few years ago (along with his bachelors and masters degree) Assistant Sheriff Walters earned his doctorate. He has dedicated his life to help the community and here people are badmouthing him like so many do to police officers. You people make me sick. So quick to open your mouths about things you don’t even know.
Anybody got numbers on what proportion of LA based street gangs/bad guys are in OCJ for crimes in Orange county????? I bet there are more FTA’s and misdemeanors then gangbangers from LA…….but if that makes you feel better, I myself don’t buy it
all government jobs are like that.. other than illegals, why do you think pay so much in taxes?? just bend over and keep taking it folks, turn a blind eye, its just money right.
government employees are paid more with 30 college units, 60 college units, speak another language, special training, etc.. each can add 5% more to salary.
few make it to the top at a company in the business industry, but everybody earns the big bucks working for government. starting pay for filing clerk at a local school is over $16 bucks per hour.. unreal.
I know $16 dollars an hour is such a huge salary. People at In n Out Burger make $12 an hour. If you want to make more money than get off you A@# and get a better job.
This may just be the biggest non-violent crime in OC this year. Accrued vacation and sick pay is included in pension determination - this would be hilarious if it wasn’t so idiotic.
This should be the headline story on the front page of the OCR for the next week. The public needs to demand retroactive pay decreases and pension reductions, and the elimination of unions for public employees. Any employee who doesn’t like it can go the way of former PATCO union members.
ocpatroit152 -
You’re an idiot. 1) my wife and I both own guns and know how to use them (we’e both ex military do*chebag) - so guaranteed she would not be cowering in a closet. 2) So 50% of the officers “you know” have degrees? B.S. - how many do you know compared to how many there are - guaranteed more than 50% of the officers (all officers) do not have degrees (and I’m not talking about AA’s moron). - thats what I thought…..
Uncle bill -
I know you are one of the few residents of OC that do not need police assistance. And that’s great because i could spend my time dealing with the other helpless residents that call us for menial things that they can’t solve on their own. And by the way I have 2 master’s degrees.
I don’t think anybody gets into law enforcement to make it rich, it’s something that takes a certain type of person and i feel that I should make a liveable salary. A $100,000 to support a family of 4 is not my idea of living high on the hog. But I’m sure many people could argue with me about that. When it comes to retirement, i still max out my deferred comp, because how do i know if the pension will be there when i retire in 20 years. I don’t, but if it is there then great and at least i planned ahead.
uncle bill,
What harsh words to use towards somebody speaking their mind. That is awesome that you and your wife both were in the military, Semper Fi. But your situation does not stand true for most citizens. That is why we have highly trained law enforcement out there. To protect the majority of citizens who cannot handle themselves in hostile situations.
And being a recent law enforcement vet, I can vouch for the fact that about 75% of the people I worked with do posses a bachelors degree or higher. I am not here supporting a $300,000 retirement fund, but if you want good quality cops who will not be rogue cops, they need to be benefited well. Otherwise they will take their college degrees and high level of professionalism elsewhere.
Uncle Bill…
I will guarantee you that more than 50% do have degrees. Advanced degrees at that. For example Assistant Sheriff Walters holds a doctorate. I know for a fact because I know him personally. The way you talk, you make yourself sound like the idiot. You call people names because thats all you can do. You know not of what you speak.
I think private uncle bill is crying. Waaaaaaah.
Ben Dover - I was an officer numb nuts.
You’re right - I am crying…. crying that my taxes go to pay these ridiculous salaries and retirement benefits.
The fact that you’re not crying tells me your one of the scumbags sucking up taxpayer dollars. Hope you sleep well at night.
50% of Americans don’t have degrees, big deal! Walter’s more than likely has many degrees! Someday you will need law enforcement, and your fooling youself if you think not! These men and women are a “TARGET” everyday they put on that uniform, to save you and you community from the ‘thugs.” If you think your superman, go for it, but Officers deserve every penny.
I have a friend that is a California state employee, when he retires soon he will get 90% of his pay. Should he die his wife will continue to get his pension. Now his wife is a federal (postoffice) employee and the same for her, if she dies first he gets her pension. and they wonder why we are going broke…
Bill-
For a guy who used to collect a check from “taxpayers” you sure do complain a lot.
Sounds fine to me! i mean, people are giving grief because they have to pay for this guy’s salary but come on! he pays taxes too!
And by the looks of it, he pays more taxes than most of us! lol
Plus, if our Sheriff and Sheriff’s Assistants didn’t get paid well, none of the Deputies would have anything to look forward to in their careers… It’s a motivator to make it to the top! Which will motivate them to do GOOD and be the best they possibly can in their everyday performance…
I was all about trash-talking the Deputies before, but then I met a few of them… went on some Ride-Alongs… They really do do a VERY TOUGH job… my hat is off to them…
And for the most part the Deputies are pissed that those few guys in their department make them all look bad!
P.S. There were no deaths in OC jail system (besides natural causes) in 17 YEARS!!! the lowest in the UNITED STATES… the OC jails are still the safest jails for inmates…
Regardless of perks this is another Carona crony that will be gone. Good riddance Charlie.
Of the 50% that have a 4 year college degree, how many sheriffs deputies get their degree after they join the department?
Compared to the half trillion+ the Bush Treasury gave away to Wall Street this week, Charlies 1/4th of a million per year is peanuts.
Does the sheriffs department (or any police agency) pick up the tab for that continuing education?
TOM:
Walters was a good man… better cop
Those big pay raises the Sheriff and his command staff comes with the approval vote of the Orange County Board of Stupidvisors. Sure the Sheriff asks for more, and not only does he and his staff get raises, the O.C.Board of Stupidvisors, and all county department heads get the same raises. Don’t only pick on OCSO; the entire county management leaders have the same great retirement packages. The best one is the board of stupidvisors.
And most deputies hired on have BA degrees; to get promoted it is a requirement for a college degree. More then 50% have BA degrees, 20% to 25% have Masters, and 5% to 8% have a PHD or are working on it. Out of the 30+ years I worked in law enforcement, 25 of those years I was attend college, not only for my degrees, but to take classes to help do my job better for the citizens of OC. No I do not get the retirement package of the command staff or benefits of management, but if I was not living in So. Calif. I would be comfortable. How many people raised children and were home only 3 times for Christmas, or 5 times for Thanksgiving in 30 years? All major holidays goes to maximum staffing, even if you had days off and then work 16 hour days on the holidays, so you are not home then either. Weekends will find cops working on days, evenings and midnights. You will see law enforcement personnel working while you sleep in your comfy Dr. Denton’s, teddy bear in hand, while you are at you kids soccer, baseball, or softball games on weekends. Cops are parents also, and give up a lot to care for you and others like you, even if you can’t comprehend their jobs. Don’t forget, cops are mothers, fathers, husbands and wives.
Under the old retirement system Walters was hired on, not now, all county employees got 100% of unused sick pay, paid when leaving county employment after 20 years. That was changed in the mid 70s, to only I believe 1200 hours are paid. I have seen sick leave abuse in county employment and private sector because of the “use it or lose it” policy. Oh yes, don’t forget the retirement package Walters got was taxed. Want to pay his tax bill? Didn’t think so.
Learn your facts before putting your perceived notions in print.
It would be refreshing for once, for one single instance, if the register would also publish the salary and retirement for firefighters, other police agencies, etc.
OC Register: Where is the context? WHERE?
Been there-
Well said.
I dont really agree with these HUGE salaries & benefits that some of these people get. BUT one of the main reasons I took a job with the county was for there retirement system. I knew that social security wouldn’t be there when I retired. So I started my own Roth IRA & got in with a GREAT county job. I dont make a whole lot of money but I’ll be doing well in 25 years when I retire from here. What scares me is when you people start talking about cutting these benefits, just because the majority of people on here wont get this retirement benefit. Look we all know in 20+ years Social Security will be shot & if you dont prepare WAY in advance then I’m sorry. But just because many of you dont have a nice retirement system in place at your job dont screw with the good thing I have going on over here.
Hopefully OCSD has a Cap in the amount of unused vacation that can be carried over from year to year, or their liability will continue to grow. I haven’t heard of too many employers being forced to payout unused sick leave. The norm is to convert unused Sick Leave balance into service credit, with the outcome slightly boosting the retirement calculation.
If the retirement is fully taxable, that would mean that 33 years of retirement contributions were not taxed. No tears shed here over any current tax burden on such a retirement package he is receiving.
JRC
How in the world did he earn a doctorate and not take any sick, vacation or comp time?
Seems impossible to me.
To Jorant, Uncle Bill, and the others who have the same thoughts, until you do the job, you have nothing to say, period! Until you have been out there on holidays, working midnights, wondering if your going to make it home because your getting shot at, don’t talk! You are both revealing yourselves to not know what your talking about and what the stats are. The more you speak, the more of an moran you reveal yourself to be. Maybe you should move to Utah, so we do not have to listen to your crying anymore. But when you do need to call the cops for your car getting broken into, your house being burglarized, being the victim of any crime; make sure to ask the cop what his education level is. They should screen the messages you send, because of how stupid you have revealed yourselves to be. You must have your blinds closed to think that there are few LA gang members arrested in Orange County. The numbers say it is at least 40%. Think about those numbers, when there are at least 60,000 arrested every year. Famous saying for the morans! ***Those who ASSUME, make an ass out of you and me.**** KEEP UP YOUR STUDIPITY!
From the looks of it, he may spend that much on food in a year, looks like he spends more time looking at his plate then the actual jails he was in charge of.
This county is sick. There is no end in sight.
Let’s not forget that the OC Employees’ Retirement System is funded by employee contributions, NOT BY TAXPAYER DOLLARS.
Amazing. That fat slob who ran the OC jail like it was abu-ghraib was making more than the VP of the United States and only about $50K less than the President. I truly hope this county goes bankrupt and the entire government retirement system is destroyed so these overpaid idiots are left holding the bag! The big government bailout taking place on the national level is nothing more than a hail mary pass in the 4th quarter with 30 seconds left. If it doesn’t work you will see government pension programs throughout the country go belly up. Walters will be standing in a soup kitchen line with the rest of us. Maybe that’s exactly what we need. To make everybody poor and start over again!
Now I’m curious what Assistant Sheriff Dan Martini made. Carona forced him to retire. Can the Watch Dog post his retirement salary?
Wow!! I wondered where all the people that applied for a Deputy Sheriff’s position in Orange County and were rejected because of drug use, criminal records, low IQs, or other low standards they maintain, went. They sit at home and bad mouth hard working dedicated people who do go out of their way to help their fellow man. Or are you sitting at your computer and toying around with this blog while your suppose to be working? No wonder you weren’t hired. Man, are you bitter.
Hey, Walter’s salary does seem pretty high looking at the numbers, but the man put in his time. Oh, unclebill- thank you for your service, but are you going to rail on the Generals, Master Sgts, and other high ranking US military servicemen and women that put in 3 decades of service for EARNING a full pension? Walters put in 33 years. He educated himself to the level of Doctorate! What is your doctorate in, unclebill? Or, did you just stop at your bachelors?
The man put in his time, let him enjoy the benefits!
Vote yes on Measure J!
billy-bobbish86 said, “Walters was a good man… better cop”
I say prove it. The parts I read say he was an overpaid bureaucrat. An administrator of jails and what else? Give us his legacy of accomplishments if you want to change my mind about his connection to a corrupt sheriff’s administration.
ocobserver Says: “… the entire government retirement system is destroyed…”
I don’t think the federal government is on 401K plans. They have a pension that can’t go broke. They will get theirs looooong after all our force fed 401K’s have a zero value.
I’d have sympathy for the OCSD’s, and would support their outrageous salaries, benefits, and golden parachutes if they faced what Tijuana cops face every day. Do they r e a l l y put their lives on the line? Probably not. Most would quite the force if someone fired real bullets at them.
Thanks to all who have posted thoughtful comments, whatever your point of view. We do read these comments and closely heed all your thoughts, tips and ideas for future posts.
This is why I have NO respect for people at the top. High ranking officers or politicians. While others struggle to get by, these people vote themselves raises and continue to live off the public.
OCSD really just busts surfers and skateboarders, but they think they patrol Beiruit, Baghdad, or TJ -at least they act like they do. Good point TJ Cop, -now there is a tough law enforcement job. I’d help pay extra to help your force any day.
If an employer, either private or government, has a vacation plan they must pay out any and all accrued vacation at the employees current rate of pay. Accrued vacation is paid out upon separation. CA does not have allow a “use it or lose it” vacation policy.
People get so upset when someone else makes more money. Get over it. These guys put their lives on the line for you. We should probably pay them more to continue to keep OC safe. Whatever they want man.
Who would have ever thought the day would come when you would make more working for the government, than in the private sector. The days of civil servant are long gone. I’m still trying to figure out how and why governments pay these type of salaries, it doesn’t make sense. It’s like winning a Fantasy 5 lottery every year, without even buying a ticket.
to been there done that - “Oh yes, don’t forget the retirement package Walters got was taxed. Want to pay his tax bill? Didn’t think so.
pay me $224k in retirement and i will gladly pay the tax bill.
Don’f forget that incomptent loser Jumping Jack Anderson is still here and was a Carona Crony!!!!!!
You just need a high school education to become a deputy sheriff and retires with pension in hundred of
thousand dollars per year. More over, you can sleep on
the job and send SMS text message to friends !
What a job
We all should become police officer or sheriff
No need to go to the college and will be out of jobs in
a few years especially in the financial sector
I have never seen so many WELFARE QUEEN lies from the loser OC SO than I have seen here.
FACT-less than 15% of LE have a college degree at HIRE.
Fact- All you need to be hired is a GED.
FACT- you need NO prior work experience to be hired.
Fact- You will have every cop and FF welfare queen in CA on here telling the world how hard their job is, how they deserve their 3%@50 retroactive illegal scam, how they are the “best and brightest”. ALL BS!
The fact is, PD and FD jobs are given out to the connected few and military workfare-because in the REAL WORLD they would be working at Burge King with that big bad GED.
BTW Welfare Queens, getting a BA or a Mstsers or a Doctorate ON THE JOB, PAID FOR BY TAXPAYERS is not a job requirement and the number is no where near 50%, even if they got their degrees a year before retirement like this clown here did.
Put that is your child molesting welfare queen pipes and smoke it.
Yes, we know the “Best and Brightest” Sheriffs are child molesters.
HB Bro Says:
September 20th, 2008 at 5:08 am
Who would have ever thought the day would come when you would make more working for the government, than in the private sector. The days of civil servant are long gone. I’m still trying to figure out how and why governments pay these type of salaries, it doesn’t make sense. It’s like winning a Fantasy 5 lottery every year, without even buying a ticket.
=============================
They make this kind of money for ONE reason, and one reason only, they give big campaign conributions through their unions (and there is NO competition like in the private sector).
It is a quid pro quo bribe, nothiNG more.
The prison guard union gave Gray Davis $3 million in campaign contributions in 2002, and in 2003 Davis gave the prison guards a 37%, 4 BILLION dollars, raise in pay.
This is going on at ALL levels of government all over the country, not jus OC or CA.
You will see Vallejo type BKs all over this state, and the country, the next 5 years as this financial crisis deepens.
Been there, done that Says:
September 19th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Wow!! I wondered where all the people that applied for a Deputy Sheriff’s position in Orange County and were rejected because of drug use, criminal records, low IQs, or other low standards they maintain, went.
========================
Low IQ?? Bwhahahahahah….you’re kidding me right???….
This is a job that requires NOTHING more than a GED to be hired. Zero, nada, nothing.
As for the rest of your nonsense, there are thousands of well qualified, clean record, no drug use applicants that are lined up for MILES to get one fo these jobs.
There is NO reason to pay $100K per year starting compensation to a GED, no prior work experience employee, who will be at $200K per year within 3 years.
KokomoJoe Says:
September 19th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Let’s not forget that the OC Employees’ Retirement System is funded by employee contributions, NOT BY TAXPAYER DOLLARS.
======================================
Yet another WELFARE QUEEN WHOPPER!
JRC Says:
September 19th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Uncle Bill…
I will guarantee you that more than 50% do have degrees.
========================
100% FALSE.
Less than 15% of these GED boys have a 4 year degree at hire.
Vote Y E S on M E A S U R E J
I don’t agree with these salaries, either but someone had to approve them.(Board of Stupieders)
I’ll retire for half that, where do I sign…
Some more facts: law enforcement fatalities in the workplace according to the National Safety Council and the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that police officer fatalities are a little higher than the average worker (19 per 100,000) but don’t compare to such jobs as truck drivers, construction workers, loggers, miners, general laborers, and many other positions like the poor guy working midnight shifts in a 24 hour market at minimum wage.
Steven Frates, Ph.D. researcher out of the Rose Insitute at Claremont Colleges, recently said: “We are witnessing the largest transfer of wealth from the private sector to the public sector in our history. Most of you are not aware of this, but in reading these entries, some of you are starting to take notice.
All of us share some blame because we continue to support local elected officials who are more than willing to take police and fire union money and then give them huge raises, year after year.
I am so tired of hearing the cops defend their exorbitant salaries and benefits by saying that the public sleeps while they are out there dogging bullets and saving babies from violent criminals, etc, etc, etc.
They have jobs just like the rest of us, but their political posturing by their unions, gives them advantages that the rest of us do not.
If we keep electing those politicians who get all of the fire and police union election money, we will continue this economic slide that is beginning to spell dooms day for some, ie, Vallejo.
Local cops and firefighters have become the highest paid workforce in all of government (do the research and find out for yourself — combined salaries, overtime and benefits, they make more than deputy district attorneys and attorney generals). The pendulum needs to start to swing back to the middle. It can only be accomplished by voting into local city councils and boards of supervisors men and women who understand this and are willing to take a stand.
JohnnyVegas, Don’t go away mad, just go away.
I agree, the guys out there in the field who putting their life on the line should get the highest paid. Why do tax payer have to pay too much, I mean way too much for this guy! That’s make me sick to the way our goverment run…
Sadly, the public employees will bankrupt this county. At least we have experience with bankruptcy. By the way, anybody who has attended a university knows the criminal justice dept. is a joke. The taxpayers pay for the courses, not the law enforcement people.
Before you complain about the money paid to a public employee that has spent several years earning their retirement, perhaps you should look at what is really bankrupting the state of California. Billions of dollars are being paid for the medical treatment of illegal aliens. All they have to do is declare PRUCOL and they are given 100% free medcial benefits. Then when they have a baby in California, that baby is considered an American citizen and given welfare, food stamps, medical, housing, etc, which is paid to the illegal parent. The taxes that the American citizens pay are supporting these illegal aliens. At least citizens paid into the retirement system that they are now collecting pensions from.
BAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaa
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaa
CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK
MEOWWWWW MEEEEEOOOOW
OCBENGAL!
# KokomoJoe Says:
September 19th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Let’s not forget that the OC Employees’ Retirement System is funded by employee contributions, NOT BY TAXPAYER DOLLARS.
Let’s not forget that the OC Employees’ Retirement System is funded by employee contributions, NOT BY TAXPAYER DOLLARS.
Let’s not forget that the OC Employees’ Retirement System is funded by employee contributions, NOT BY TAXPAYER DOLLARS.
Three times seems to be a magic number for some people.
Your tax dollars do pay for the salary of the OCSD but when they retire other county employees pay their retirement!
How much do OC Register employees make?
JohnnyVegas, you’re going to give yourself an aneurism. Calm down. If you want to be a County Employee, apply. I heard they are a equal opportunity employer.
I can see where a county executive departing after 33 years could warrant an article, but this article is just another jab at a department trying to recover. Not so much as a thank you in the article for the years of service. How often does a top executive in a company with 4,000 employees in the private sector retire with 33 years of service? Not that often…Most top executives earn much more money and have much better severance packages. It is the job of the watchdogs to keep people informed, but this article is written with bullets of information that misrepresent where the facts and appears to be written to inflame not to inform. Thank you for your years of service Assistant Sheriff Walters!
The pension fund is UNDER funded by several BILLION. According to the law, the under funding has to be made up for by TAXPAYERS. I say since it’s YOUR pension, state and county employees should pay alot more into THEIR pension to cover the costs. You may have to contribute 20% to 30% of your paycheck to support YOUR fellow employees in their retirement. Everyone agree?
What the article failed to report is that every deputy hired after 1977 does receive the same compensation as Charlie Walters. Only management receives a car allowance. Deputies hired after 1977 are paid 50 cents on the dollar for their sick/vacation time when they retire and must work at least 25 years to receive that amount. Even then, they are limited in how many hours of sick/vacation time they can cash in. Not every deputy will receive Holiday comp pay when they retire. Holiday pay depends on the deputies work schedule. Charlie Walters’ base salary is based on his last year of service. For everyone hired after 1977 it is based on an average salary of their last three years of service. What OCSD receives in salary and retirement benefits is similar to what every other police department receives in Orange County.
12tawk Says:
September 20th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
JohnnyVegas, you’re going to give yourself an aneurism. Calm down. If you want to be a County Employee, apply. I heard they are a equal opportunity employer.
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I have a college degree, common sense, clean record and do not use alcohol or drugs-so I am pretty much disqualified from being a county welfare queen.
Thanks for asking though GED Boy.
County resident Says:
September 20th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Before you complain about the money paid to a public employee that has spent several years earning their retirement, perhaps you should look at what is really bankrupting the state of California
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Public employees do NOT “earn” their retirement pensions.
It is paid for and funded by the taxpayers, and the majority of it has been illegally granted retroactively.
If the welfare queens DID earn their gold plated Cadillac pensions thee would not eb any problems.
Bruce Philpott Says:
September 20th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Some more facts: law enforcement fatalities in the workplace according to the National Safety Council and the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that police officer fatalities are a little higher than the average worker (19 per 100,000) but don’t compare to such jobs as truck drivers, construction workers, loggers, miners, general laborers, and many other positions like the poor guy working midnight shifts in a 24 hour market at minimum wage.
******************Steven Frates, Ph.D. researcher out of the Rose Insitute at Claremont Colleges, recently said: “We are witnessing the largest transfer of wealth from the private sector to the public sector in our history. Most of you are not aware of this, but in reading these entries, some of you are starting to take notice.****************
I am so tired of hearing the cops defend their exorbitant salaries and benefits by saying that the public sleeps while they are out there dogging bullets and saving babies from violent criminals, etc, etc, etc.
They have jobs just like the rest of us, but their political posturing by their unions, gives them advantages that the rest of us do not.
Local cops and firefighters have become the highest paid workforce in all of government (do the research and find out for yourself — combined salaries, overtime and benefits, they make more than deputy district attorneys and attorney generals). The pendulum needs to start to swing back to the middle. It can only be accomplished by voting into local city councils and boards of supervisors men and women who understand this and are willing to take a stand.
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Good post. You sir, are a smart man.
There are about 150 PD deaths per year nationwide-60% from traffic accidents. It is actually oen of teh safest jobs in America. OC cops do NOT “dodge bullets”….LOL!
The only thing they are dodging is the Sgt. when they are on donut runs at Krispy Kreme.
I happen to know a public employee who worked for the required number of pension years for the city of Hunington Beach, retired in good standing, got a job with the county and in a few years will be collecting 2 full pensions. fair?
We dumb, ignorant voters keep voting in the same Board of Supervisors who keep voting for salary, benefit, and pension increases year-after-year for all the County Public Employees. The Supervisors fail to mention that they get the same corresponding salary, benefit, and pension increases year-after-year that they authorize for all the other County Public Employees. I wonder why the Supervisors keep voting for increases!?
Obviously there is no conflict of interest or corruption here!
We dumb voters and taxpayers of Orange County are getting exactly what we keep voting for … corrupt, self-serving politicians and public servants.
Edward Says:
September 21st, 2008 at 4:20 pm
We dumb, ignorant voters keep voting in the same Board of Supervisors who keep voting for salary, benefit, and pension increases year-after-year for all the County Public Employees. The Supervisors fail to mention that they get the same corresponding salary, benefit, and pension increases year-after-year that they authorize for all the other County Public Employees. I wonder why the Supervisors keep voting for increases!?
Obviously there is no conflict of interest or corruption here!
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San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre has challenged the retroactive pensions increases that SD gave based on the conflict of interest that you just raised-Government Code section 1090.
That case is on appeal.
Time for reform on cops salary< They’re making too much money. Soldiers fighting in Iraq barely make enough money to support their families while these donut black holes make tons of money.
I have known Dr. Walters for 33 years. He worked his way through the ranks. He is honest, loyal, and highly ethical family man. He is not a Carona crony, but a law enforcement professional. He earned his doctorate is from the University of Nebraska, not some mail-in program. He is collecting what he earned and invested in throughout his career. OC Sheriff retirement is not paid by tax payers. The employees invest, and the retirement comes from that account. Every single police agency in Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego has a similar plan, and all collect three percent for each year of service at age 50; no more, no less.
These benefits were not in place when Dr. Walters was hired. He is not personally responsible for the retirement improvements over the years. It is clear that some of the negative comments are generated by individuals who have no grasp of how the retirement system. I would also expect that some negative comments come from those who are jealous, and haven’t the ability to stay with such a demanding career for so many years.
With regard to education, it is very difficult nowadays to get a job as a police officer or deputy sheriff with a major agency unless the applicant has at least an AA. Future promotions are highly competitive, and most management positions require a Masters degree to be considered. Of course, that is just the minimum, as all police officers and deputy sheriffs go through rigorous training throughout their careers.
As for Dr. Walters weight, you should know he is an older guy and yes he is overweight. You should also know that he is as strong as an ox, and if he were to engage in a physical altercation he would do quite well. Law enforcement agencies no longer have fitness for duty requirements, and I agree they should. The problem is not the agency, it is a failed legal system that allows for friviolous law suits. Should a police department decide to terminate a police officer for being overweight, the agency would quickly be subjected to legal action and would have to show that the officer could not perform his function, and if not the agency would be required to retire the employee medically, which as you may know is tax free. End result; overweight police officers. Not Dr. Walters fault.
So for those of you who have the courage to walk through dark alleys in the middle of the night only to face the unknown, every police department in the County is looking for qualified men and women.
Dr. Walters, enjoy your retirement. You played by the rules and you earned it.
goodman Says:
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I have known Dr. Walters for 33 years. He worked his way through the ranks. He is honest, loyal, and highly ethical family man. He is not a Carona crony, but a law enforcement professional
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First off, “Dr. Walters” did NOT earn a $250K per year pension, so you welfare queen cops should just put that whopper to rest-50% of that pension was a RETROACTIVE GIFT OF PUBLIC FUNDS.
I am sick and tired of these cop and FF welsare queens saying they “earned” multi million dollar pensions when they did no such thing.
Second, the days of these scam pensions are NUMBERED, so all the little PD and FF welfare queens better get ready for a haircut on them come June 2010 when the IRS ends the scam. No more getting fat at the public trough off the backs of the poor and middle class.
Rule would alter public employee pensions
IRS plan, which could eliminate early retirement options, is set to be implemented in 2010
By SEAN WHALEY
©REVIEW-JOURNAL
CARSON CITY — A major change proposed by the IRS for public pension plans, including Nevada’s public employee retirement system, could eliminate early retirement pay for government employees in less than two years.
A new regulation the agency is pursuing would prohibit most public pension plans from allowing participants to retire and collect benefits earlier than age 55, with a preferred retirement age of 62. This would cover everyone from teachers to police to city and state workers in Nevada and across the country.
goodman Says:
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:33 pm
It is clear that some of the negative comments are generated by individuals who have no grasp of how the retirement system.
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Yeah, we can’t all be rocket scientists with a GED like you Goodman.
Here is how the PUBLIC retirement system has worked Einstein, public unions give $1 million dollars in campaign contributions and in return receive $100 million dollars in bogus, unearned retroactive benefits.
As for the rest of your nonsense post, it is just more of the same old welfare queen baloney about how the cops “dodge bullets in dark alleys” while the rest of us sleep safely at home ….yawn.
Thanks for the reminders Chicken Little. I sure hope the sky doesn’t fall tomorrow.
goodman Says:
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:33 pm
OC Sheriff retirement is not paid by tax payers. The employees invest, and the retirement comes from that account.
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Hahaha..here is another welfare queen whopper-you must have made 20 whopping lies in your single post.
“Retirement” contributions cost 60% of base pay, and 95% of it comes from the taxpayer.
Wow,
Mr. JohnnyVegas has some serious issues, as any intelligent person would realize when reading his ignorant comments. Oh Johnny, you know nothing about me. I have never posted before. While many of the comments seem to have merit, I recognize you as a fool, and I thought perhaps this would be good time to offer a few comments based on years of experience in the private and public sector.
What is a welfare queen? You must have personal knowledge. I have been in my career for 38 years and never come across the term. Maybe you should take a class in anger management and ask the instructor to discuss political correctness.
Oh yes, you are also wrong on your retirment calculations.
Perhaps you should become part of the solution, and work with legislators if you feel there needs to be a change to the system. Never mind, that would require an investment of time.
JohnnyVegas - keep up good work on these e-mails. I can not believe there are people on here supporting these salaries and pensions. They have the nerve to become upset when someone questions them about it. My conclusion is that they are also benefiting from the system in one way or another.
goodman - police and teacher unions are too powerful to reform the system….
Uncle Bill,
It is not a matter of being upset. I too agree that the retirement benefits are excessive. What is disagree with are people who challenge without an answer, or without the benefit of providing accurate information that may support their position. If folks like JohnnyVegas choose to challenge the system, they should take the time to educate themselves on the issues. Don’t blame Dr. Walters, or degrade him. He did not create the system. If you or Mr.Vegas in his situation, I guarantee you would not be donating your retirement to the homeless.
If you believe the unions are too strong, don’t look only at the public sector. Get involved and work toward positive change.
Sounds like Johnny Vegas should just move to Canada.
He is a great person and has been a + for the dept. Well liked…. but I guess doing you job in law enforcement has become a big joke… THX to the OC Rag and all you cop/law haters.
Its now “what did the cop do wrong” instead of “what did the criminal do” !!!!!! Heck, maybe the cops should just hold up the white flag to the public since so many think the law enforcement process is BAD.
So SAD !!!
Walters, enjoy your retirement…. you EARNED IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had the priveledge of meeting Mr. Walters. Firsy he is a briliant and dedicated person who has probbaly saved OC more than it will ever cost them. As far as education… He holds a PhD. No uneducated cop. He could make more than 200K as a University professor, which he is more than qualified to do. I never knew what he made, but he was always a man who was humble and willing to give his time. To tie him to the crook Corona is a diservice to someone who deciated his life to the OCSO. The voters of Orange County need to own up to their mistake in electing Corona. Charlie Walters would ahve been just as happy being a patrol sergeant as being an assistant sheriff. Too bad you could slaughter him over all of his hard work and for retiring and getting something he had no control over??? Also as far as Corona, he is still sick over what that man did to the OCSO.
If you ran into Charlie on the street yoou would love the guy and want him to be your neighbor. He is a class act, a humble and compassionate person……
Maybe the OC register should hire him to run their paper and they wouldn’t be taking advantage and cheating poor people who work as newspaper carriers..
I threw papers in college during both my Masters and Doctoral studies. it was my choice to do such and I knew they were cheating the people that worked these routes as it was pretty clear that we were not independent contractors; however, the scheduled worked into my studies since I was already up in the morning.
In reference to this article and Tony Saavedra biased investigative reporting in reference to individuals earning compensation figures in the $200K range really shows his disrespect for people that work hard and lead great organizations that serve our Communities.
Even the person who helps run the Orange County Register Charities makes over $100K for an organization that gives roughly $700K to other non-profits. All these individuals are driven by a desire to make a difference in areas they feel their skill set can make the biggest impact.
It is sad that journalism has advanced to this level of reporting.
I don’t wish him harm but scum beaucrats like this should be in prison or worse. And yet politicians continue to reward public service employees with lots of money in retirement.
Charles Walters might be a nice guy, but I don’t want to waste my tax dollars on his sky high retirement. People in the real world have to take money out of their pay check every month to put into a 401K.
Yeah so what you are a cop. There are lots of dangerous jobs out in the real world that don’t get paid jack.
Lots of tax payers work 2nd and 3rd shift, including those that make your donuts!!!
Reality check:
Only 15% (and declining) of all private sector jobs have pensions.
For those lucky few who have private sector pensions, those pensions will only pay about 33% of terminal salary.
Few private sector workers can expect to enjoy steady employment and income for 33 years with a single employer.
Fewer private sector workers, including senior middle managers, can expect to draw a salary exceeding $200,000 per year much less a retirement exceeding $200,000 per year.
Private sector employers who reimburse expenses for education are less common than advertised and will become less common in the future as the cost of tuition rises beyond inflation.
Most private sector employees are paid for results and not just because they hold some level of advanced education. There are many masters degree holders and MBA’s who do not get raises in the private sector because they do not produce profit enhancing results. Advanced degrees are no guarantee of success or results. It seems in the public sector, they just pretend advanced degrees are the same as results.
It doesn’t much matter if Charlie Walters pays taxes on his top 2% income. Charlie’s net income, before and after retirement, is coming out of the pocket of the wealth producing private sector.
As public servants, public employees are strictly a cost of doing business. To the degree that the costs of public employees exceed the benefits they provide, private sector employees are being fleeced. To the degree that private sector employees are forced to pay taxes that exceed benefits, private sector employees become serfs. I am pretty certain that the Charlie Walter’s cost both pre and post retirement exceeds the value of the benefits he provided. Looks like that trend will continue until all private sector earnings go to the government. Government bureaucrats are becoming the new nobility.
As public servants, public employees are strictly a cost of doing business. To the degree that the costs of public employees exceed the benefits they provide, private sector employees are being fleeced. To the degree that private sector employees are forced to pay taxes that exceed benefits, private sector employees become serfs. I am pretty certain that the Charlie Walter’s cost both pre and post retirement exceeds the value of the benefits he provided. Looks like that trend will continue until all private sector earnings go to the government. Government bureaucrats are becoming the new nobility.
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WOW=I loved this post.
On the money 100%.
Wow!
Some real nut cases in OC.
I have known Dr Walters for 8 years. He is an intelligent, compassionate, brave, strong and generous guy. He has saved the county tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars. He is now retiring to the life, and pension, that he has earned.
For those that think that the civilian sector is more difficult to navigate and actually more dangerous to the participant, well, perhaps they should sign up. This is after all the United States and you have the right to pursue your own happiness.
If you can’t do that at least go and ask Mommy to take the adult block off of the x-rated cable channels. After a few minutes, or seconds, I am sure you’ll feel a lot better. But only temporarily.
Ciao.
I’m sure Mr. Walters is a good man and a good employee. What I don’t understand is the accrued sick time benefit. I thought sick time was there to use if you need it, not to save up for later reimbursement. If you have a healthy year and show up for work like millions do every day, then your sick time shouldn’t be a cash cow on the backs of taxpayers.