CHP Commisioner calls it quits

[NorCalBusa]

Mike Brown is stepping down- and why wouldn't he. With all the scandals, some his, some inherited from Spike- its time. Plus, last year he got a new retirement package; how does "100% of highest year income" sound? I'd go too. Hell, there's be burnout marks between my chair and the door...

[Sidesaddle]

He's is not retiring. Brown is stepping down under pressure as commissioner. He will be a two star chief again. Not sure why he would not just retire, must be a financial reason.

[NorCalBusa]

Wow- does he keep his Commish pay package and bennies? I had heard was leaving, but just Googled it:

CHP Commissioner Mike Brown Resigns
SACRAMENTO (AP) ― California Highway Patrol Commissioner Mike Brown resigned Tuesday as he was under increasing pressure from some state lawmakers, who had called him an ineffective leader and criticized his oversight of the department.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Deputy Commissioner Joseph Farrow to replace Brown as head of the agency and its more than 10,000 employees. Farrow will take over March 1.

The state auditor recently found the CHP wasted money in buying new guns, motorcycles and patrol car equipment. It also questioned the use of an executive aircraft.

The audit came after two lawmakers called for Brown's resignation last March.

At that time, they cited a high suicide rate among CHP officers, alleged misconduct by command officers that included complaints of sexual harassment and a no-bid contract for nearly 10,000 new handguns that failed to perform adequately.

Republican Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia of Cathedral City and Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, a Democrat from Los Angeles, also criticized potential conflicts of interest and questionable disability claims by CHP officers.

"The release of the audit was in a sense the exclamation point in a long list of reasons for Commissioner Brown to resign. But I wish him the best," Romero said.

Farrow was second in command as poor decisions were made by both Brown and former commissioner D.O. "Spike" Helmick, who was forced out by Schwarzenegger in September 2004, Romero said.

"This is someone who was No. 2 and was privy to all these discussion and debates. I'm not sure what role he had," Romero said. "He can no longer say he was just following orders. He's No. 1 now. The buck stops now with him and the focus of attention will now be on him."

John Lovell, a lobbyist who represents the state police chiefs and other law enforcement associations, defended both men.

"That is a huge loss for law enforcement," Lovell said of Brown's resignation. "I am in fundamental disagreement with Sen. Romero and Assemblymember Garcia in terms of Mike Brown's performance and just the kind of guy he is."

He praised Farrow as "a high quality guy."

Sabrina Lockhart, a spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger, said the governor had "full confidence" in Farrow's abilities to lead the department.

Schwarzenegger appointed Brown, a 30-year CHP employee, in September 2004. In a resignation letter he submitted Tuesday to Schwarzenegger, he cited family considerations for stepping down.

"The position of commissioner makes incredible demands upon an individual both personally and professionally," Brown said in the letter.

He described his decision as "a thoughtful and deliberative process involving my family."

Brown would not comment further, CHP spokeswoman Fran Clader said. He will return to his former rank as a chief.

In addition to the recent report about handgun, motorcycle and equipment purchases, an earlier audit found that the agency wasted about $1 million by failing to use nearly 50 vans it purchased more than two years ago.

The auditor also found that the CHP had improperly used its executive aircraft, an eight-passenger Beechcraft King Air.

In one instance, Brown's wife accompanied him to a charity fundraising event in Burbank, although Brown later reimbursed the agency $254 for the flight. The airplane also was used for trips around Northern California, including once flying Brown to Oakland for a radio interview.

The department, which has a total budget of $1.8 billion, no longer has the plane.

Law enforcement officials from other agencies had defended Brown's performance.

Farrow, 52, became a highway patrol officer in 1979 and has been deputy commissioner since November 2004. He will earn $169,500 as commissioner.

[beaker]

He's is not retiring. Brown is stepping down under pressure as commissioner. He will be a two star chief again. Not sure why he would not just retire, must be a financial reason.

I'm under the impression that every year you work the CHP you get 2% of your salary towards pension, so if you worked 51 years you'd get 102%.

In any case, isn't Brown the guy who wanted to ban motorcycles from being able to split lanes?

[caponerd]

I'm under the impression that every year you work the CHP you get 2% of your salary towards pension, so if you worked 51 years you'd get 102%.

In any case, isn't Brown the guy who wanted to ban motorcycles from being able to split lanes?

I think that just means that they set aside 2% of your earnings into the pension fund. Doesn't mean that if you retire after one year, you'd get 2% of that years salary for the rest of your life.
4% after two years, 6% after three....

[silversvs]

I think that just means that they set aside 2% of your earnings into the pension fund. Doesn't mean that if you retire after one year, you'd get 2% of that years salary for the rest of your life. 4% after two years, 6% after three....

Um....yes it does.

For every year you work you get in the CHP's case 2.5%, and for most every other CA law enforcement agency you now get 3% of your salary. PERS (Public Employes Retirement System) handles the retirement. Whatever your single highest year of pay is (not including overtime and some other earnings) you just muliply the number of years worked times 3% and that is the percentage of that single highest year salary that you get for retirement. You have to wait till you hit 50 years of age to collect. Thus we have a 3%@50 retirement package.

[Sidesaddle]

Um....yes it does.

For every year you work you get in the CHP's case 2.5%, and for most every other CA law enforcement agency you now get 3% of your salary. PERS (Public Employes Retirement System) handles the retirement. Whatever your single highest year of pay is (not including overtime and some other earnings) you just muliply the number of years worked times 3% and that is the percentage of that single highest year salary that you get for retirement. You have to wait till you hit 50 years of age to collect. Thus we have a 3%@50 retirement package.

Actually, CHP does get 3% per year. Also, to be vested in PERS you would need to work at least 5 years before the 3% per year would kick in and at 50 years old you could start drawing it.

[ex911]

I'm under the impression that every year you work the CHP you get 2% of your salary towards pension, so if you worked 51 years you'd get 102%.

In any case, isn't Brown the guy who wanted to ban motorcycles from being able to split lanes?good Lord, I'd like to see the...umm...72 year old CHP officer still on duty :p

[ateamer]

I believe CHP, as do most if not all PERS agencies, has a 90% cap.

[NorCalBusa]

BUT the Commissioner is on a different program. It was a shit storm when it happened last year (mightabeen 2006), wrapped into some other AB that got through (as so many are). I can't speak to whether he get's it for taking another assignment, or what happens when he retires from this new assignment, but a retiring Commish gets 100%.