Nearly 400 Seattle cops made over $200k in 2024
With 23 percent raises and backpay, a lot of awful cops got awful rich in 2024. Sleeping Sergeant Paige Maks raked in half a million, while prolific offender Zsolt Dornay took in nearly $360,000.
When the public learned in 2020 that Officer Ron Willis made $414,000 the year before, it sparked an outcry, news articles, and even an Office of Police Accountability investigation. What a difference a few years can make. Last year, four Seattle police officers made more than that, while dozens trailed close behind.
SPD officers had a massive payday in 2024 owing to hefty 23 percent raises from the new police guild contract, which were applied retroactively for the past three years. Seventy-six officers made more than $300,000 in 2024, while nearly 400 officers cleared $200,000.
The big winner was once again Sergeant Paige Maks, who brought home $509,281, which is double the salary of SPD’s chief legal counsel and $200,000 more than its chief executive. Maks was previously caught sleeping while parked in a bus lane on Third Ave and investigated for allegedly pointing a gun at her wife.
Not far behind is Russell Johnson, a West Precinct beat cop, who took in $471,289, Traffic Sergeant Dean Ikei, with $433,108, and Collision Investigator Ashley Price, $425,163. Two of these officers were hired in the late 80s and early 90s and are likely running up their salaries to get higher pensions.
Questionable High-Earning Units
Some of the units with the highest earners aren’t responding to 911 calls or investigating felony crimes, such as homicide and robbery. In some cases, they aren’t responding to crimes at all.
Executive Protection Detail: Three out of six members of the executive protection detail, which provides bodyguards and drivers for the mayor and police chief, earned over $300,000. Former member of the unit Shaunte Gray-Mcvey, who was transferred to motorcycles mid-year, made $384,000.
Motorcycle Traffic Enforcement: As the city shifts toward photo traffic enforcement, the motorcycle unit is all but obsolete. Still, it remains a highly sought-after assignment because of the ample opportunities to get overtime from working events. Six motorcycle officers made over $300,000 each, including former SWAT Officer Carl Anderson, who made $344,957. Anderson nearly killed a young woman with a blast ball in the 2020 protests and indiscriminately fired over a hundred foam rounds in 40 minutes at a later demonstration.
The Office of Police Accountability: Surprisingly, the OPA has two detectives with unusually high salaries, including one in the top 10. Det. Corey George earned $401,117, and Det. Matthew Merritt made $362,900.
Harbor Patrol: SPD has considered cutting the Harbor Patrol for years because many of its functions are redundant to the fire department or the Coast Guard. Nevertheless, three of its members topped $300,000, and almost all of them made more than $200,000. Michael Lamed, the highest-earning member of the unit, made $362,928
West Precinct Ops - Seattle Center: This unit is responsible for event planning. All of its members made more than $300,000 last year. Its highest-earning member, Sgt. Anthony Baily made $392,088.
Dishonorable Mentions
Let’s take a look at how some of the officers who have been featured in DivestSPD fared in 2024:
Jason Atofau ($376,361): Atofau took 23 minutes to respond to a shooting with injury that was a mile up the road, and previously, he shot up the inside of his cruiser while playing with an airsoft gun.
Zsolt Dornay ($358,039): Dornay’s sins are too many to list, but here are the highlights. He nearly beat an elder to death. He started an off-duty fight, then shot a lawyer in the stomach. Dornay got a DUI, did donuts in his neighbor’s yard, and slammed a handcuffed man in crisis to the ground.
Ron Willis ($335,352): Willis ran up his overtime working impossible hours. It got so bad that he was investigated for violating overtime rules twice and suspended, which is probably why he’s not in the top 10 this year. He also once blew off a DV call because it was near the end of his shift, and presumably, he had to go home for his 2 hours of sleep a day.
Sgt. Brian Rees ($316,605): Rees stalked and harassed his estranged wife, who was formerly a Seattle police officer.
Bradley Richardson ($312,559): Richardson racially profiled and falsely arrested two young Black men, then threatened to make up crimes to pin on them.
Domisi Thrash ($278,500): Thrash unnecessarily punched a woman in the face and got into a road rage incident. Most recently, he unlawfully detained and berated a woman in front of her child.
Gregory Tomlinson ($266,212): Tomlinson creeped on and sexually harassed a younger officer and totaled his ATF Task Force vehicle while drunk.
Caleb Howard ($240,814): Howard drunkenly assaulted his fellow officer’s teen son at a party, then punched his father when he tried to intervene. He also tried to ply the officer’s underage daughter with alcohol and came on to her.