Incoming Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams is already collecting from taxpayers, ABC15 has learned.
Williams, who is scheduled to start in October, is making $84,000 annually in pension benefits from her previous stint with the Phoenix Police Department, according to Christian Palmer, a spokesman with the state's Public Safety Personnel Retirement System.
She worked for the department in various roles from 1989 to 2011, including assistant chief from 2009 to 2011.
And, besides her Phoenix pension, Williams appears to be eligible to collect at least $33,000 annually in pension from the Oxnard Police Department in California, where she has been police chief since 2011.
While the salary for Williams' new role as Phoenix police chief is yet to be determined, city spokeswoman Julie Watters said the salary range for the position is between $126,984 and $215,862. That means Williams could make in excess of $300,000 between salary and pensions.
We should note that "double-dipping," or potentially triple-dipping through salary and pensions in this case, is not uncommon for police chiefs and other high-ranking government officials.
ABC15 reached out to Williams for comment, but Watters noted that the city's goal is to hire the most qualified candidates.
"In some cases, that means hiring people who have already done the job and have a high level of experience in a specific field and may already be collecting a pension," Watters said.
