Jun 1, 2006 11:27 pm US/Central
DPD Orders Special Audit Of Officer Overtime Pay
by J.D. Miles
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
There are questions about whether some Dallas police officers are making too much money. Chief David Kunkle has ordered a special audit to review overtime pay.
The move comes after the discovery that some officers are more than
doubling their salaries with overtime.
Questions arose after a Houston Police Department review found excessive overtime among some officers. Chief Kunkle decided to look at his officers OT, and says he was surprised by the results.
Officers in the Dallas Police Department know Christopher Harry as a hard working, respected senior corporal. What many didn't know is that the southwest Dallas patrolman is the
second highest paid officer in the department.
Since the beginning of the year, Corporal Harry made $41,000 in overtime
alone.
By the end of the year, at that rate, his salary plus overtime will come close to Chief Kunkle's pay of $155,000.
"It is striking when you see the fact that some of these guys make $40-$50,000 more than chief officer through their overtime," Kunkle said.
Kunkle called for an audit after finding several lower ranking officers, including Harry, making more than $20,000 in overtime alone, through the first five months of the year.
"It's an abuse of the system to pad your salary to make extra overtime. I don't know what it is, but I'm glad that Kunkle's going to find out," said Laura Miller, Dallas Mayor.
Last year the chief began promoting officer overtime, as a cost efficient option to fight crime and deal with officer shortages.
That has some police groups questioning why the department is scrutinizing overtime after encouraging officers to volunteer for it.
"He encourages those people to work overtime, because quite honestly we can't hire enough police officer's to go out there and protect this city, so now we do it on overtime. It's ironic that he wants an audit of it. I find that very fascinating," said Glenn White, president, Dallas Police Association.
Corporal Harry says he works an average of 24 extra hours a week because he's single and has a passion for police work.
Four of the top 10 overtime earners come from southwest patrol, where crime is down 13 percent.
The special audit will be limited to officers earning $100,000 or more from salary and overtime combined.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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