University of Michigan says new police chief well worth the money paid to lure him
Editor's note: The name of the former EMU police chief has been corrected in this article.
The University of Michigan’s new executive director of public safety will make $18,000 more than his predecessor and enjoy a $30,000 signing bonus.
The $200,000 salary and signing bonus being paid to Greg O’Dell represent money university officials decided they needed to pay to get their first choice to lead U-M’s police department, spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said Friday.
Greg O'Dell
O’Dell’s salary ranks at about the 75th percentile among top security officers at comparable universities in the nation, Fitzgerald said.
O’Dell, who starts his new job Aug. 22, is making $169,100 as head of public safety at Eastern Michigan University. Fitzgerald said a pay increase of about $30,000 seems appropriate given that U-M is a much larger university than EMU, hosts large high-profile events with significant security requirements and receives $1 billion annually in funding for research, some of which presents its own security issues.
As for the signing bonus, Fitzgerald said university officials offered it to make sure it could lure O’Dell, whom he said was highly regarded at EMU.
“Greg O’Dell was our No. 1 choice, and signing bonuses for top executives are not all that unusual,” Fitzgerald said. “And we decided that was what we needed to do to get the person we wanted.”
O’Dell had recently received a raise at EMU. On April 16, EMU raised his pay from $139,111 to $169,100. O’Dell’s starting salary as police chief at EMU in 2008 was $130,000.
Walter Kraft, vice president of communications at EMU, said that raise was appropriate in light of O’Dell’s work to improve safety and security at EMU and build a better rapport with the community.
“Chief O’Dell did an excellent job here at Eastern and when we evaluated his performance and the success that he had had … it was evident that he was deserving of an increase that would reward him and bring his salary in line with the salaries at other institutions,” Kraft said.
Geoff Larcom, EMU’s executive director of media relations, said in a statement that the number of burglaries on campus dropped by more than 60 percent between 2007 and 2009, from 123 in 2007 to 42 in 2009.
He also cited several other accomplishments, including the “opening of a new, $3.9 million, state-of-the art police headquarters built in existing facilities, hiring experienced, veteran police officers to patrol campus, a vigorous crime alert policy, a crime mapping project and a marked reduction of crime incidents on campus and solid track record in solving crimes.”
O’Dell came to EMU after a controversy following the murder of EMU student Laura Dickinson in her dorm room in 2006. EMU was fined $357,500 for not properly reporting the crime and agreed to pay $2.5 million to Laura Dickinson’s family to pre-empt any lawsuit that might be filed over her death.
EMU’s handling of the case also led to the firing of EMU president John Fallon. EMU Police Chief Cindy Hall and Vice President of Student Affairs Jim Vick were also forced out.
Meanwhile, former University of Michigan police chief Ken Magee will continue to receive half his $182,000 salary through October. Magee went on sick leave Oct. 27, and the university signed a settlement agreement with him in November in which he agreed to leave his job and U-M agreed to pay him his full salary for six months and half his salary for another six months.
Comments
A2comments
Tue, Aug 9, 2011 : 12:26 p.m.
In 2008, the market valued him at $130k. 3 years later his market value is 54% higher not counting the signing bonus? Really? EMU's raise in April seems out of line. UM's offer is not out of line if you base it on the $169 EMU salary.
Milton Shift
Tue, Aug 9, 2011 : 2:49 a.m.
It would be nice to see this new police chief respect the will of Ann Arbor voters and end the policy of enforcing state marijuana law.
Milton Shift
Tue, Aug 9, 2011 : 2:43 a.m.
You could hire 4 or 5 cops instead of this monkey who will become consumed by scandal, take a year long sick leave and be found working in an antique shop.
David Briegel
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 11:08 p.m.
Greg O'Dell, Make certain you keep the Hummers from double parking by the tunnel and the automatic weapons out of the stadium. Never know when an accomplice might have a clip of live ammo!
Craig Lounsbury
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 10 p.m.
here is a link to the Board of Regents contact info. They are elected officials, maybe expressing ones concerns on various issues to them would at least be food for thought on their parts. <a href="http://www.regents.umich.edu/about/regents.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.regents.umich.edu/about/regents.html</a>
Jack
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 9:24 p.m.
Greg O'Dell is a fine cop. That he should receive that kind of a salary is outrageous. How large is the UM police department? How many cops does he supervise? Compare that with the City of Ann Arbor - a much, much larger staff and a much, much larger area with much greater responsibility. And the police chief gets paid much less. Our tax money goes to pay the UM salaries and I, for one, am outraged at the use of my tax dollar.
LarryJ
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 8:37 p.m.
Smart Logic, what assurance do we have that you are not yourself the "nut job" you are concerned about? The 42,000 students, 6,000 faculty, and 38,000 employees are largely a well-behaved group, and even the 112,000 football attendees largely keep things under control. But occasionally, somebody goes off the deep end, and it's best that they don't have a gun with them when that happens. Mr. O'Dell, I urge you to maintain a ban on concealed weapons on campus. Let's maintain the focus on learning and service and not start shooting each other.
CountyKate
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 7:33 p.m.
Considering the disarray at U-M's Public Safety Department due to the "medical leave" of the previous chief for such an extended period, and considering O'Dell's proven track record of taking EMU's Public Safety Department from total chaos to a highly functioning and effective department, I'm not surprised by this at all. O'Dell's going to have his work cut out for him. Maybe one of his first arrests can be the previous chief, who has been scamming the University for so long.
Cash
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 9:56 p.m.
Please...EMU DPS in total chaos before he showed up? I think not. I've known the folks there for 30 years...they were fine. Note: the same people are still there except ODell brought in one of his "retired" pals from A2 before he left. If he arrests the previous chief at UM, he will have to arrest the administration and president of UM who have been covering up this stuff from day one...and paid him off a HUGE sum to leave, Why? What are they covering up? There's the real crime.
BhavanaJagat
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 6:41 p.m.
The Seductive Power of Money : I like the caption of this story. It describes the enticing power of money. This man has become a victim and has been lured by the demoniacal power of money. The University of Michigan has openly admitted its crime of luring a gullible victim by flashing its wealth card. The victim is now entitled to receive additional compensation for he has become a prey which got trapped in this sinister cobweb called money and influence. How about a compensatory award of one billion dollars? The costs of this act of enticement are not yet over.
Trouble
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 5:52 p.m.
Mr. Larcom makes me laugh. Unbelievable. EMU pays: $2,500,000 to the Dickinson family $ 350,000 fine for not using common sense $ 450,000 to Lawyers to tell them they did " wrong " Total: $3,300,000 (public monies?) And probably more they haven't told us about. And he states Mr. O'Bell's accomplishments are: "opening of a new, $3.9 million, state-of-the art police headquarters built in existing facilities, (Didn't know O'Dell was a contractor); hiring experienced, veteran police officers to patrol campus (Daah); , a vigorous crime alert policy, a crime mapping project and a marked reduction of crime incidents on campus and solid track record in solving crimes." (O'Dell did this, not the working Police personnel of EMU.) Sounds perfect for U of M. This is just more double speak from babble artists paid on the public's dime.
SW40
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 5:40 p.m.
I find it peculiar that so many people take issue with a Chief of Police making 200,000 a year but no one complains that the football coach makes millions. I realize all the Wal-Mart wolverines really love their Saturday afternoons where they can pretend that they have some connection to the glorious UofM. But perhaps just perhaps a police chief who is responsible for campus safety at one of the largest research institutions in America is a little more important than the guy who draws X's and O's on a chalk board. In the real world people have important jobs and they should be compensated fairly for those positions. I'm not angry and Mr. O'Dell for his compensation, I believe other employees at UofM should be paid a little more, but then again Chrysler needs another renovation and there just aren't enough seats in the football stadium. We need a couple more white trash wolverines walking around Michigan Stadium urinating in parking lots. But hey we are the leaders and the best.
Milton Shift
Tue, Aug 9, 2011 : 2:45 a.m.
No one complains that the football coach makes millions?! Not true!
Jack
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 9:21 p.m.
Welll, Mr. Kidd, I can compare them. When a university spends more on sports than on academics, I have a problem. Espcially when I am paying taxes for a school that I can't even afford to send my child to. Maybe the Athletics Department could support some of the other departments. That seems a much better use of the money than to pay coaches kazillions of dollars. Our values have gone askew.
Joe Kidd
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 6:09 p.m.
When the police department starts drawing in revenue that would fund the entire athletic department, then the PD chief can be paid millions too. That is what happens at UM when you fill that stadium. Watch a few away games on TV when Michigan plays colleges with less success. If Michigan stadium was as empty as some, the school would be forced to either fund many teams with general fund money or end them. Basketball and hockey may be revenue producing sports but I do think any of the others are and basketball may not either if they are not filling Crisler Arena for every game. You really cannot compare these two positions.
A2Susie
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 5:20 p.m.
Certainly the nurses keep the patients safe and deserve handsome compensation for that. I hope they get it. But how is that inconsistent with paying the man who has the entire campus's protection under his purview? Please explain why it is one and not the other because I'm not seeing it. You seem to see this job as making out the schedule to patrol the diag. The education and research facilities of this huge campus and hospital have state of the art technology and equipment which can be vandalized, if not stolen. Administering takes in so many evaluations of areas and vulnerabilities and then the strategy to protect them with allocation of resources at hand. This includes selecting and overseeing installation and upkeep of state of the art monitoring and alarm systems, careful monitoring of sales sites for stolen equipment, analysis and protection of terrorism targets on campus. There are so many things I as a layperson can't imagine. Your remarks demonstrate a woeful lack of understanding of what it takes.
Milton Shift
Tue, Aug 9, 2011 : 2:46 a.m.
I think the street cops should be paid more than the chiefs. They're the ones that take the fire when some gunman goes wild in a bar.
Cash
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 5:44 p.m.
Maybe you are new to Michigan.....but it has been a CONSTANT harrangue agaisnst union and lower paid people here ....cut the teacher's salary, cut the clerical salaries, etc....any union lower paid worker. ALL of those people are assumed to be QUALIFIED for their jobs because they were hired and retained! So he is no different. However, there is no screaming from Lansing or on this board by the same Tea Partiers who complain about lower paid people making too much money. That is the point you are missing.
bulldog01
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 4:30 p.m.
How about - the nurses - who are working without a contract. Maybe UMHS should "pay a bit more" to keep and attract the best in nursing - this would keep the patients safe!
A2Susie
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 4:16 p.m.
Consistency is said to be the hobgoblins of little minds, and yet, on this thread, the naysayers on paying a very good man for a huge job are the same folks howling about crime and inadequate policing on other threads on this site. It is astounding to me that anyone would want less than the best protecting this billion dollar campus, or think that the dept can run without a chief. Sounds like sour grapes to me. Do you guys really think you could do this job??
Joe Kidd
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 6:04 p.m.
There is no question he is a prime candidate. The issue is the pay. It's too much. In re to your last sentence, it does not take an exceptional amount of talent to run a police dept. It is really quite basic.
Basic Bob
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 4:36 p.m.
The raise and signing bonus alone would pay a lot of overtime for real police officers. Now when the budget isn't raised by at least $48,000, someone who really makes a difference gets laid off, not the new boss. That is a consistent argument, if you ask me.
jcj
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 4:03 p.m.
"This story really should have been filed under the "crime" page." Have you looked at the crime page lately ? The last entry was July 22nd! It would appear the there is NO crime in A2 if you relied on the crime section!
Bob Needham
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 4:53 p.m.
I'm not sure what that link is. Try this one: <a href="http://annarbor.com/news/crime/">http://annarbor.com/news/crime/</a>
jcj
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 4:49 p.m.
Bob It does not matter if I am on my PC or my sons at this page I get the following story as the latest entry. <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/courts_crime/index.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/courts_crime/index.html</a> Ann Arbor housing complex sued for race discrimination by Fair Housing center even after refreshing.
Bob Needham
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 4:08 p.m.
jcj, you may need to refresh your browser. There have been many stories posted on the crime page since July 22.
nickcarraweigh
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 3:52 p.m.
This story really should have been filed under the "crime" page.
Milton Shift
Tue, Aug 9, 2011 : 3:09 a.m.
This comment made my day. Thanks.
quetzalcoatl
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 3:48 p.m.
UM has a propensity for shooting itself in the foot (see: perpetual trespassing, closing Main St. for football games, etc) and it's done it again. They have about 35,000 employees who are going to want the same kind of deal when their contracts are due.
james stephenson
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 3:46 p.m.
Greg O'Dell is well worth the money. He has a proven track record in Law Enforcement. There is no guess work in this selection, as with the previous chief, who had a less then stellar preformance while employed by the university. Greg has a great reputation in the law enforcement community and made many positive changes at EMU PD.
Joe Kidd
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 3:31 p.m.
This will be good for the rest of the staff, particularly the unionized staff, who will be able to hold out for much more in compensation at bargaining time. Obviously there is plenty of money to go around and any claims of financial hardship - that always comes up at contract negotiation time - will be harder to float. The gaps in compensation are unbelievable but still growing, which I guess is typical UM behavior these days. Greg O'Dell is as good a candidate as any but the "improvements" done at EMU are pretty much standard and should have been in place already. I think the scandal after the murder is key. Suddenly there is money to pay for these things that went unfunded before. At UM, what will be interesting is to see is if he fixes the problem.
jcj
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 3:24 p.m.
As for the signing bonus, Fitzgerald said university officials offered it to make sure it could lure O'Dell, whom he said was highly regarded at EMU. What comes around goes around! He will be 'lured' away within 5 years!
Cash
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 2:23 p.m.
Interesting all of the ruckus coming out of Lansing about university faculty making too much and unionized workers getting too much and yet.......when a college tax-funded administrator gets almost quarter of a million dollars to START a job, no one in Lansing blinks an eye. Lansing: Where is the outrage at the high end of the spectrum?
John B.
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 2:05 p.m.
It's too bad that the the U wasted nearly $700,000 in total compensation on the previous chief, for less than two years of service. Hopefully that process won't get repeated.
A2Susie
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 1:29 p.m.
This is a man with lots of relevant education and experience who is now responsible for the security not just of all the students and staff of the university, but also the entire plant, with all its millions, maybe billions, of dollars worth of research facilities and equipment, a huge hospital, and world class faculty in all areas. There are many, many CEOs all over this country responsible for much less who are paid much more. I don't begrudge Chief O'Dell a penny of his salary and benefits, whatever they may be, and I wish him all the best in the huge responsibility he's taken on.
Bill
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 2:10 p.m.
Based on the responsibilities, experience and his reputation, this salary is not out of line.
David Briegel
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 1:26 p.m.
They have to pay him well because he is now a member of the club. He will know where all the bodies are buried. He will know which closets contain the skeletons. It's hush money in advance. And his predecessor got it on the way out!
Mr Blue
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 12:54 p.m.
Wouldn't it be great if the regular citizens of Ann Arbor could get the UM campus cops to work for them? I mean we as taxpayers already pay for local A2, County, State AND UM police! It makes no sense that Ann Arbor cuts cops and UM essentially has a private police force that serves only the UM and campus. Solving and seeking justice for the assaults on and near campus are as much a responsibility of UM campus cops as they are A2 police Shouldn't they all work together to better serve the paying public? Are college campuses that much more deserving of police protection than the surrounding HOST community?
G. Orwell
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 12:24 p.m.
Why does the University need its own police force? Why not outsource the business to the Ann Arbor police? It is sad that an educational institution feels it needs its own police force.
Eric P
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 2:17 p.m.
They have their own police force largely because the AAPD was harder and harder to work with in the 80s and by 1990 the U, which had plans for a police force since the 60s, brought in a group of retired Michigan State Troopers to run and staff the department. They also had many many issues with the Diag and gangs that AAPD was not addressing and as someone pointed out the regents were looking for more control.
lugemachine
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 1:07 p.m.
Sad? Then turn on the waterworks, because most major Universities have their own police forces... including many in Michigan (all four directional schools, MSU, Wayne State, Ferris State to name a few). AAPD used to provide police services for campus. Typically one vehicle with two officers. It was a woefully ineffective arrangement.
Cash
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 12:45 p.m.
There is only one reason and I know this all too well.... So that the administration can CONTROL their activity.
Cash
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 12:04 p.m.
Laughable if not for the fact that they are spending some of OUR money. The "state of the art" facility at EMU was planned and being built before O'Dell took his first retirement atA2 City. He moved into it....since when is that spectacular? Sorry, this is a bunch of hooey. I'm tired of public institutions throwing money at people and then bragging about it. It's like stabbing us and then wiggling the knife.
Joe Kidd
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 3:35 p.m.
I was thinking that same thing, about the facility. I think upgrades were in progress when he arrived at EMU. I agree with your opinion on tossing too much at the top. So much for using that $ to add jobs.
Bertha Venation
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 12:25 p.m.
You are sooo right, Cash!
Ignatz
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 11:56 a.m.
A $30,000 signing bonus? Couldn't they just give him his own bubble gum card?
Smart Logic
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 10:44 a.m.
O'Dell, your first order of business should be abolishing that stupid ban on legal concealed carry on campus. No matter how good things seem there is always a nut job out there ready to shoot up another school so please at least give us the ability to defend ourselves.
Smart Logic
Tue, Aug 9, 2011 : 4:59 p.m.
Steve, you may not trust yourself to carry in public but some of us do. Some of us are also well trained in firearms, keep up with our proficiencies, and are capable of proper concealed carry. What concerns me is not the 30 people agreeing, but on the one insecure "well-trained" person passing judgment on the rest. You obviously have not watched the news in the last, say, 10 years, and seen all the terrible tragedies that could have been greatly lessened by one proficient, confident, law-abiding normal person choosing to carry in one of the venues you listed.
Steve
Tue, Aug 9, 2011 : 12:50 a.m.
Like clockwork. Fearful people and their guns. Keep it locked up at home. I'm well trained with firearms and I don't trust myself to carry in public, never mind hobbyists and want-to-be heroes. It really concerns me that you and (at this moment) 27 others agree that we need guns in the classrooms, libraries, and large venues. Why not focus on the cause of violent crime instead of threatening to stop it in progress? Look at the bigger picture.
Smart Logic
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 4:35 p.m.
Eric P: understood though DPS should have sway with the Regents especially about matters of campus safety. All I'm saying is that someone needs to try.
Joe Kidd
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 3:42 p.m.
I think the state needs to pass laws that prohibit local governments from passing ordinances that conflict with state law. Too often these restrictions are unknown to people who feel they are law abiding only to be fined for simply crossing an unmarked boundary line. Voter initiatives should be indirect, if petitions pass muster and get enough signatures, they go to the legislature not the ballot. That way we would not have laws like medical marijuana, the UM weapons ban, and the infamous cross walk violation A2 passed. When you pay a chief far more than anywhere else, no matter how silly your ordinances are you will get complete support. And of course your chief will support laying off fire/police to dangerous levels too.
Eric P
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 2:19 p.m.
That would be the regents rules not DPS rules.... do you think that DPS likes the fact that off duty police are restricted from caring their weapons on campus? If someone really wanted to change the rules the first step should be in getting the ban on off duty law enforcement having their duty weapons on campus.
Craig Lounsbury
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 10:43 a.m.
"Because safety and security is really important at the university, we tend to pay a bit more." and its not that important anywhere else? "Fitzgerald said a pay increase of about $30,000 seems appropriate given that U-M is a much larger university than EMU, hosts large high-profile events with significant security requirements and receives $1 billion annually in funding for research, some of which presents its own security issues." But can't the department run without a chief? Or more to the point, its been running without a chief since last October 27. Wasn't "security really important" for the last 9 months?