Probably not, with many municipalities being forever cash-strapped by poor local political decisions. A brief internet search shows the income average/mean split as approximately $47k/$52K per annum.

An even less well researched internet factoid has median annual US household income at just under $52K, so yes... comfortable. Still, IMHO, that is a compensation poorly matched with being shot at, running into burning buildings, or teaching in an average high school.

Much like the American educational system, salary considerations and other incentives for employment minimize the likelihood that law enforcement will attract the sort of candidates we might prefer in the vocation as a society.

My two cents: law enforcement and education are often thankless jobs, and my hat is off to the many, many folks who give their best in these positions I wouldn't care to work.

"Look, I can set the temperature on my thermostat from here!" or "Watch this Bubba... I can turn on the Spa heater an hour before getting home!"

We're so accustomed to the exchange of freedom for security that now we're trading it for convenience.

prior to that, it's anonymous law.

Ahem...We are the same people who brought you the month-day-year format of star-date reckoning, and, the homogenous distance "football fields".

I purchased a used telly once, taking over payments for a friend who had it on installments from the furniture place. It had a remote control included, which I promptly threw away. The logic I recall using was, Jesus Chraist, how exhausting an activity is television viewing that one might need to avoid standing up to change the channel?

If we can convince the folks bent on destruction for entertainment to sit on their hind ends and remotely attack us...Shit, we've got them!

Now? If the remote's batteries are weak, I might get up and post on /., for all the trouble.

Proper f*cked.

Leaving the phone charger plugged in, for example, uses an average of .26 watts versus 2.24 when your link to the civilized world is charging... and, don't get me started on the cost of leaving a single DVR cable box plugged in year round. According top the 1st random study google provided, $43 and change.

Moral: Don't be a selfish dick... plug your shit in when you're ready to use it.

Single pilot plane crashes, parachutes that don't open, and weapons that misfire during cleaning are each acceptable ways out for the ones tired of life. Taking numerous folks with you so that they remember your name or so your pile of virgins is higher are remarkably contagious conditions.

The saddest part of the story is the publicity will encourage other malcontents to mimicry.