Daniel Pantaleo's Salary Has Increased Since Eric Garner's Death
Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer who restrained Eric Garner in a chokehold shortly before Garner died on Staten Island in 2014, has steadily increased his earnings in the two years since he was placed on modified duty.
According to a report from Politico, Pantaleo has earned $119,996 this fiscal year, which includes earnings between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016. His average pay was $78,026 and he earned $23,220 in overtime, according to a review of payroll records. He received an additional $12,853 in unspecified pay, which could include retroactive pay or bonuses.
Pantaleo's 2016 earnings represent a 35 percent increase in overtime pay, and a 14 percent overall increase from the previous fiscal year, which began shortly before Garner's death on July 17, 2014.
In that 12 month period, which ended on June 30, 2015, Pantaleo earned $105,061, with $76,488 average pay, $17,109 in overtime and $11,673 in additional earnings, records show.
In the 2014 fiscal year, which was completed before Garner's death and Pantaleo's subsequent reassignment, he made $99,915 average pay, which included $17,189 in overtime.
So, although Pantaleo was stripped of his gun and badge after Garner's death and placed on modified assignment, he's still managed to make more money that he did before.
When asked by Politico about Pantaleo's earnings, New York Police Department spokesman John Grimpel wrote in an email, "At times, officers are required to work beyond their scheduled tour of duty. This includes officers on modified assignment."
Recently, police reform activists, elected officials and Eric Garner's family have called for the city to release Pantaleo's disciplinary records, with Mayor Bill de Blasio being criticized for not holding the NYPD accountable.
According to a report from Newsday, State Supreme Court Justice Alice Schlesinger last year ordered the city to release records about Pantaleo, that the Civilian Complaint Review Board had provided in the past about other officers. The Legal Aid Society had sued when the city refused to disclose the records.
