A California Cop earned the title as the state's best-paid public sector worker in 2025 after bringing home more than $1.2million while on paid leave for nearly the past two years.

Records released on June 30 from the State Controller's Office show that last year former Redlands Police Department Deputy Chief Travis Martinez received $1,203,370 in wages.

The majority of the earnings came from $890,467 in 'Other Pay', while another $231,099 was from 'Lump-Sum Pay' in addition to his regular pay of $81,804.

Topping off the wages was another $55,864 paid out for health benefits and retirement.

Totaling a grand sum of approximately $1.26million, making Martinez the highest-paid public sector employee in 2025.

The former deputy chief beat out the second-highest-paid worker by hundreds of thousands of dollars, a Los Angeles Fire Department battalion chief who received more than $921,000 in wages.

According to the State Controller's Office, the regular pay range for the position is between $170,486 and $217,588.

Aside from the shocking figure Martinez earned, exactly how he made that money may be even more surprising.

The big breadwinner had been on paid leave for 18 months prior to his April 2025 retirement, after signing a settlement with his police department, according to the East Bay Times.

Under a settlement agreement, Martinez agreed to retire within 10 days, drop a claim he filed against the city in June 2023, and receive roughly $872,000 from Redlands. That settlement comprised most of the 'other pay' he earned.

In his claim against the department, he alleged that he faced retaliation after reporting misconduct.

According to the Bay Times, the alleged misconduct included efforts to conceal evidence of safety hazards linked to a train accident that killed an 11-year-old girl and her mother.

Martinez also accused the police department of sexual misconduct involving then Deputy Chief Mike Reiss.

He reported Reiss to the FBI after he believed the allegations were not being properly addressed internally.

Reiss's retirement on March 4, 2023, came as he faced allegations of preying on, grooming and sexually harassing several department employees over several years.

The former deputy chief was placed on paid leave in October 2023 and never returned to work.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Redlands Police Department for comment. 

In Maryland, a firefighter brought home nearly half a million dollars after his department blew their overtime budget by $10million.

A Montgomery County firefighter at Station 25 in Aspen Hill earned $472,000 in total compensation in 2025, according to the Baltimore Banner.

That was made possible after they topped off their base salary of $157,000 with an extra $315,000 in overtime.