For the 18th year, the Herald is back with a “Your Tax Dollars at Work” first.

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Top 2024 overtime earners in Massachusetts: ‘Your Tax Dollars at Work’ database

A Massachusetts state employee has logged enough overtime to push their pay past the half-a-million mark.

State Police Detective Capt. Thomas McCarthy racked up $349,815 in overtime pay, pushing his gross take-home in 2024 to $584,072, according to state Comptroller records posted Monday.

“Wow!” said Dennis Galvin, president of the Massachusetts Association for Professional Law Enforcement (MAPLE).

“You have to ask how sharp is someone earning a lot of overtime going to be? This is an oversight issue,” Galvin added, saying he was speaking in general about the fear of burnout and abuse.

The State Police confirmed Monday that McCarthy is the same officer suspended without pay in 2011 for a year after being arrested in Saugus for failing to stop for local police while off duty. He also “forfeited” a month’s pay in 2005 when he was the “subject of discipline,” MSP added.

The State Police also announced that newly hired Col. Geoffrey Noble has launched a “comprehensive” overtime and staffing review of the agency statewide to crack down on overtime while balancing “public safety and operational efficiency” to maintain “fiscal responsibility to taxpayers.” Noble took over the embattled force in October.

The State Police added McCarthy was assigned to Logan Airport where constant construction is behind his OT haul.

Four other State Police officers are also in the tally of Top 10 overtime earners with all pocketing in excess of $350,000 in total pay for the year.

The OT audit comes as fiscal watchdogs are pushing for more accountability.

“That level of money is so high I would never sign that check,” said Paul Craney, MassFiscal’s spokesman. “This demonstrates that no one is watching.”

Other top overtime earners include MBTA Transit Police Lt. Manes Cadet, who pushed his pay to $467,635 with $274,870 in OT, along with fellow T Sgt. Joseph Sacco, with a gross pay of $398,629 backed by $257,930 in bonus pay, records show.

The rest of the Top 10 list is filled out by Department of Correction officers, with their union saying the “examples amplify the understaffing at our state prisons.” Those DOC officers took home $347,808, $320,397 and $316,379, respectively. The union added they “stepped forward to fill the gap.”

A Herald analysis of the new 2024 state salary database shows 2,251 employees earned more than $50,000 in overtime last year in all departments. That’s up 6.9% year-over-year, “Your Tax Dollars at Work” data show.

The top earners haven’t changed much from last year, with UMass leading the way with both the basketball and football head coaches — with head basketball coach Frank Martin paid $1.82 million and Head Football Coach Donald Brown $950,444, which included a $67,068 buyout when he was fired in November. Umass hoops stand at 5-10 this season; the Minutemen went 2-8 in football this past fall.

UMass Medical Chancellor Michael Collins was paid $1.59 million and his deputy $1.14 million, records show.

Massachusetts spent $10.26 billion on the entire payroll in 2024, according to the the Comptroller’s office. UMass, the MBTA, the Trial Court, State Police and MassDOT were the top five departments costing taxpayers the most.

State Police OT audit

Noble’s statewide scrub includes having GPS monitors in “all vehicles,” routine payroll audits “at multiple supervisory levels,” planting a state Inspector General’s Office unit “within MSP headquarters” in Framingham, and combining Internal Affairs and Staff Inspections Units into one Office of Professional Integrity.

“This strategic review will prioritize the appropriate allocation of resources and ensure the department’s ability to sustain the delivery the highest standards of policing services,” MSP spokesperson said in a statement sent to the Herald last night.

This is the first installment in the Herald’s annual “Your Tax Dollars at Work” report. Look for more in the coming days and email all tips to joed@bostonherald.com.