A fiscally conservative think tank in Albany says Ramapo's retired chief of police was the highest paid local employee in the state.

According to the Empire Center, former Ramapo Police Chief Peter Brower was making a little more than $360,000 a year before he retired. A replacement for the chief has not yet been named.

The survey also listed Clarkstown Police Chief Michael Sullivan ninth on the list, with a salary of just over $272,000.

By comparison, NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton is paid just under $209,000 a year.

Ramapo and Clarkstown officers were ranked ninth out of the 50 highest paid county and municipal employees in the state. The lowest paid workers on the list are from Nassau County, making nearly $125,000 a year.

Some residents told News 12 that police deserve to be paid well because they put their lives on the line each day.