Retiring Chief to Make at Least $229,000 for Life

One legend has it that the infamous Tenderloin neighborhood got its name because cops working that beat made enough money to afford the priciest cuts of meat to eat.

But retiring police chief Heather Fong won't have to settle for pedestrian beef, and will be able to dine on foie gras and truffles with a pension of $229,500 a year for life.

Thanks to a voter-approved ballot measure last June, cops and firefighters who retire after thirty years of service are guaranteed 90 percent of their highest pay level in benefits.

Exactly 146 retired officers or their families receive six figures a year. And of course, those pensions are on top of social security benefits or any other income they might receive from continued employment outside of the department.

While Fong will be the wealthiest retired chief on record, she'll likely soon be displaced by officers under her command -- as of 2007, there were three officers with higher annual salaries than hers.

That will certainly make for an awkward foursome on the links at Harding Park. Photo by Bart Vis.

Jackson West would like to offer his services to Chief Fong as a personal chef for, say, $45,000 a year plus benefits.