Police Quadrupling Pay With Overtime, VIPD Seeks Fix

A St. Croix bicycle cop is the U.S. Virgin Islands’ second-best-paid public employee, according to government records.

Sgt. Ricky Hernandez, the Christiansted Bike Patrol commander, had a base salary of $76,055.24 in 2023. But by working overtime at a rate of up to twice his normal pay, Hernandez peddled his way into $242,107.83 in overtime for a total take-home pay of at least $318,163 before taxes — more than 4.1 times his base pay.

When employer-paid benefits and a miscellaneous “other pay” category are added, VIPD paid the veteran officer more than $387,433 in 2023, according to government records. It was not a one-time occurrence, and he is not alone.

Nine of the 15 best paid U.S. Virgin Islands government employees are police officers, another is a corrections officer with a base pay of $51,755.58 who did more than $137,249 worth of overtime in 2023, according to the government’s Open Finance website.