police

Firefighters and cops are contemporary American saints, people so virtuous and celebrated they are beyond the realm of normal scrutiny most places. Earlier this year it was reported that 65 of the most highly paid people on the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority payroll were cops - state troopers. 65 of them took home more than the chief executive Alan LeBovidge who got $163k.

Massachusetts is a police state. Not in governance of course, but in pay - if the Massachusetts Turnpike's 2008 payroll is any measure. The Boston Herald put the data on their website this morning. We imported that into an Excel spreadsheet which generates some amazing data on police pay and police costs to the Turnpike. The 138 miles (222km)  of the Turnpike has 172 state troopers on payroll fulltime, paid in 2008 an average of $150,537 for the year.