An NYPD lieutenant in Police Headquarters who earned more than $400,000 last year has put in her retirement papers, following a report by the Daily News noting she claimed to have worked more than 1,600 hours of overtime for a hefty sum of $204,000.
Lt. Special Assignment Quathisha Epps, with a salary of $406,515, was the highest earning cop in the entire NYPD in fiscal year 2024, city payroll records show, even though she worked in an administrative capacity for Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey. Sources say her earnings are under review, and late Wednesday Epps was suspended from her position.
Those earnings were detailed in The News’ report, which also reported a significant number of the top 400 overtime earners have administrative assignments as opposed to patrol responsibilities. For example, 13 of the top 400 earners were assigned to the police commissioner’s office.
Police sources say since The News’ Nov. 16 report, the department has embarked on a crackdown on administrative overtime. In addition, precincts are under increased pressure to track overtime. Borough commanders held meetings on Dec. 11 and Dec. 12
The NYPD press office did not reply to several emails sent by The News Tuesday and Wednesday about Epps’ retirement and the overtime crackdown.
Epps put in papers for a “vested separation retirement” on Monday, NYPD personnel records show. She is slated to leave Jan. 14, the records show.
Epps joined the NYPD in July 2005, records show, which means she is leaving seven months short of her 20th year – the year full pension benefits kick in – and will have a slightly reduced pension as a result. It was not immediately clear why she was retiring early. She also risks not getting a so-called “good guy” letter, which would allow her to carry a firearm in retirement, something that is an important prerequisite for security work.
A News analysis of her salary shows her pension could be at least $150,000 a year tax-free and possibly close to $232,000, the payroll records show.
Payroll records show Epps put in 1,626 hours of overtime earning $204,453 over her regular salary of $172,893. She also earned $26,169 in “other pay.” In fiscal 2023, Epps claimed 1,003 hours of overtime, earning $114,210, or half as much as she earned in fiscal 2024.
In fiscal 2022, she claimed 496 hours of overtime, earning $49,561, the records show.
The rank of lieutenant special assignment is a discretionary promotion that does not have to go through civil service procedure under NYPD rules.
On Monday night at a town hall meeting on the Upper West Side, Mayor Adams said he directed Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to do a “desk by desk” analysis of cops, saying cops are “masters at hiding out somewhere.”
The comment drew a rebuke from Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry, who said the force is burned out and drained by waves of retirements. “Shuffling cops’ assignments or squeezing them for even more mandatory overtime is only going to drive more away,” Hendry said.
Lou Turco, president of the Lieutenants Benevolent Association, declined to comment. Epps did not reply to a call and a text message.
Under the city’s Police Pension Fund rules, a police officer’s pension is based on their final year of service.
The amount of overtime earned cannot exceed 20% of the previous year.
In Epps’ case, if she received a standard pension, she would receive 50% of her final year regular pay plus 20% more than her fiscal 2023 overtime earnings.
Her fiscal 2024 salary of $172,893 plus 20% in overtime more than she earned in fiscal 2023 – $137,052 – would put her at a total salary for pension purposes at about $309,000.
A standard pension is calculated at 50% of the final salary tax-free, so her estimated annual retirement payment would be roughly $155,000.
Epps is a cancer survivor, so if she put in for a disability pension, it could add up to substantially more – 75% of her final year salary – or $232,000.
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