A Day in the Life of a Constable

Nearly a month ago, I posted a blog about the little known world of the constable, Pennsylvania's very own bounty hunters. What surprised me most was how well some are paid. In 2007, Constable Frederick Schoenenberg raked in a cool $131,175.26, just from Northampton County.

I've just heard from Constable Schoenenberger. Fortunately, he had no parking ticket warrant. But he explains his job below, and it's not as easy as it looks.

Hello everyone, my name is Frederick Schoenenberger, one of the constables listed in Mr. O'hare's article and point of interest due to the amount of money the county has paid me.

I felt compelled to write and explain some details and specifics in respect to constables and our jobs. Good and bad points.

Yes, it is true we can make a great deal of money, set our own hours and work with little to no supervision. We are trusted to look and act professionally, respect people, obey and follow the law and uphold people's rights and liberties.

I can say with pretty precise certainty that the constables around here follow these standards. Constables in general do their jobs without notice most of the time.

The only time a constable is brought up usually is when something that the papers feel is bad. I say "feel" because this always isn't the truth and the paper will report what it wants and what it thinks will sell newspapers.

As you can see most of us around here and myself included make what most consider a ton of money.

The average person fails to realize just the amount of people/dockets we arrest or clear to make that kind of money.

For that $131,000 the county paid me I can tell you I made them close or over a million dollars for that. We are making the municipalities, state and county a fortune.

Since our fees are paid for by defendants or plaintiffs in civil cases, we are no cost to the taxpayers. We are really the only self sustained law enforcement that does not derive any money from the taxpayers! What county or state office can say that?

Now you say...."What happens if the defendant goes to jail or has no money, who pays you then?? The Taxpayers??"

Well, sorta but not really because the counties have this already planned.....for every docket that is issued or we collect on a $15.50 fee is added to it for the county to go into a fund....this money is then used to pay us if the defendant has no money.

So how big is this "Fund".....Just ask, it's a ton! Just think about all the dockets that clear in the entire county in a year and x that by $15.50!!

Any idea how many dockets I had to clear to make $131,000???? I cleared almost 6k worth!! now multiply that by $15.50??

That's just me, one constable!

Ok, so now we cleared that we are not funded by taxes so you say we are still making a ton of money.

Not so fast there buddy!

The office of constable is elected and since we receive no money for our office guess who pays for EVERYTHING?? Ding, Ding, Ding.....We do!! We get no benefits of any kind, no disability, major medical, dental...nothing!! Zilch, nada...nothing!

Again, we have to pay for everything! This means...

My car.....I have gone through 3 in my 6 year term.....can't buy new, it gets killed into the ground in a year or two. The cost just to maintain and service a car is several thousand a year and that does not include gas or insurance. We can't get a new car warranty because we are using the car for commercial purposes and the warranty doesn't cover it. So I have to set aside money to pay for a car "cash" every few years.

Any idea how many miles we put on a car in a year??? Just a hint we could go easily through a new car 36,000 mile warranty in a year's time.

I spent almost 20k last year on gas and another 3k on maintaining it.

Regular car insurance?? Nope, I wish....we are transporting prisoners and using the car in a business manner, my insurance is 3 times what a normal person would pay in a year.

How bout liability insurances, professional and umbrella?? Yep, tack on a grand or so there a year.

I spend a few thousand on postage a year....I as well as any other constable I know always sends a letter first.

And yes, that's thousands a year on postage!

Now let's talk cell phones, hmmm...just paid my bill 2 days ago....$523.00 a month! This includes 2 phones and a wireless air card. Ok, why 2 phones??

Well, I shut 1 (my primary) off at 10pm otherwise defendants will call at all hours of the night...Yes I field calls well into the evening when most people get home from work...we never really stop working.

The other phone or phone number 2 is on at all times and when it rings it is a police department or communications center.

The wireless card is used in the vehicle for Internet and to run people for other warrants.

Ok, now lets talk offices....mine takes my entire basement, I need fax machines, desks for warrants, laser printers. I spend a good thousand every month on supplies.

My Internet has to be a business line and is $89.00 a month (I wish $17.99 a month!!). I need a stactic IP address to access Law Enforcement only database skiptracing services which then run me another $425.00 a month just to find people (you don't think they are always at the address on the warrant do you?)

My business overhead just to run my office is a few thousand a month. Heck when gas was creeping close to $5 a gallon I was spending 1600-2000 a month just on gas to drive around!!!

As you can see if you take what I earn and deduct business expenses and ahhh..don't forget uncle sam (taxes), you can now see I earn a modest living.

That is why most constables who earn 6 figures a year would jump to be DJ....the money is more then making those 6 figures because we have to buy everything!

If I was DJ earning 78k a year that would in reality be more then my 131k now.

As for the hours I work 9 hours each day. Sometimes I am up before the crack of dawn to catch the really hard ones who just won't reply no matter what. There are times I am into the night or work night hours as well. I also average 15 - 20 hours of office a week and at the end of the week, if there really is one, I am working about 70 hours a week with this job. Oh, did I forget to mention all the phone calls all the time??

Don't construe this to me griping, I love this job, the freedom and just the profession but I wanted to clarify a few things for most that don't know how it really is.

You see these big paychecks but don't really know what we have to go through to make that kind of money.

Truthfully, most constable do not make what myself or Josh Wagner make because we are workaholics.

I love my job so I don't consider it work, if that makes any sense?

As far as new constables go ... go ahead, run, get elected and spend 20 grand on a vehicle and equipment, get all those insurances, shine those shoes and that fresh duty belt and guess what??

You aren't going to get work as a new constable!! That's right, it's not a guarantee that you get work. Nope, around here good luck.

Every judge has a constable and if that constable leaves there is another constable like myself to take over and you can bet the judge isn't going to hire a new guy with no experience or reputation.

So now you wasted all this time (academy...yes 80hrs but now add 40 for firearms and another 30 for intermediate weapons and you've got some time invested) Money and you got no work.

Welcome to being a constable!!

I think I'll stick to title searching. For excitment, I'll blog. My thanks to Constable Schoenenberger.