Ever wanted to be a policeman in Chicago? No? Me neither! But maybe we should all consider career changes, seeing as a few Chicago policemen (and other various city personnel) are probably making much more than you or I in overtime pay alone. The Inspector General of Chicago recently released its report for the fourth quarter of 2012, which includes the amount of overtime paid to city employees last year. It is a list of people that have figured their shit out.

Take, for instance, a police communications operator (very informative job title) that works in Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications. This fine employee earned a salary of $77,784 last year. His or her overtime pay was $91,116. That's a total of over $169,000. His or her boss, OEMC executive director Gary Schenkel, made roughly $168,000 last year. This is a bureaucrat putting the system to work.

Overall, 26 city employees made over $50,000 in overtime last year, while 223 made more than $30,000. The Red Eye has the rest of the top 10 Chicago city employees that took home the most in overtime pay last year.

2. A police dispatcher who made $84,852 in overtime on top of an annual salary of $77,784.
3. A police detective who made $76,161 in overtime on top of an annual salary of $87,372.
4. A police communications operator who made $75,970 in overtime on top of an annual salary of $77,784.
5. A police detective who made $65,891 in overtime on top of an annual salary of $87,372.
6. A police detective who made $63,994 in overtime on top of an annual salary of $87,372.
7. A Department of Water Management operating engineer who made $63,968 in overtime on top of an annual salary of $91,395.
8. A firefighter who made $62,689 in overtime on top of an annual salary of $78,012.
9. A police detective who made $62,589 in overtime on top of an annual salary of $90,540.
10. A police detective who made $61,724 in overtime on top of an annual salary of $87,372.

The good news for these people is that the sky is still the limit. The city's 2013 budget sets aside $32 million for overtime pay — a $3 million increase from last year. Will Chicago see its first six-figure overtime employee? Who says the American dream is dead?

[via Red Eye, image via Shutterstock]