Long Island's highest-paid cop made $246,374 going after drunken drivers

Newsday reports:

Long Island's highest-paid county police officer is not a chief or a division commander. He's not even a detective.

He's Officer Daniel McKenna, of the Nassau County highway patrol's special drunken-driving enforcement team, who last year earned $246,374, according to county records -- including more than $113,000 in overtime. It's part of the price tag of Nassau's get-tough policy against drunken drivers that was highlighted last year with County Executive Thomas Suozzi's controversial "Wall of Shame."

Overtime earned under that crackdown helped 11 rank-and-file police officers earn more than $200,000 last year - most of it racked up in processing arrests, doing blood-alcohol testing and testifying in court, according to the department.

McKenna, who did not respond to an interview request, is a 14-year veteran on the force. He worked 1,241 hours of overtime in 2008, including 300 hours testifying. He made 121 arrests, including 76 for drunken-driving offenses; assisted on another 68 arrests and issued 521 traffic tickets, according to the department.

They sure are special!