In 2002, officials concerned that police overtime had escalated to $20 million ordered an audit trying to control skyrocketing costs.
But four years after the audit’s recommendations, overtime has increased to more than $30 million even though police logged fewer overtime hours.
“There is only one explanation,” said Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Kevin Morison, “and that’s the pay increases that our sworn members have received over time.”
The District has increased police pay to stay competitive with area agencies and the growing demand for federal and state police since Sept. 11. Police salaries have risen 12 percent in three years and are scheduled to increase 9 percent in the next two years, Morison said. First year officers start at a salary of $44,600, up from 39,260 three years ago.
The expensive price of overtime makes it even more imperative to rein in the hours, said critics of excessive overtime.
“Money that we’re spending on overtime is money that we aren’t spending on other services,” said D.C. Council Member Kathy Patterson. “The question is, ‘Are we getting our money’s worth in overtime?’”
An Examiner study found 72 officers earned more than $50,000 in overtime; 188 earned more than $30,000. The average MPD employee earned more than $7,000 for extra man-hours. Many, including one officer who worked more than 2,192 overtime hours and earned $149,000 last year, earned more than $60 per overtime hour. One sergeant with 790 hours of overtime earned $149 per hour, according to The Examiner study. He ended up earning $116,000 in overtime last year.
The overtime issue has been long-running. In 1998, the Inspector General investigated alleged abuses of overtime by detectives and referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney. The U.S Attorney’s office declined prosecution.
The 2002 audit discovered that in 10 out of 10 sample homicide cases, police failed to document that the work was actually performed for the overtime payments.
The amount of overtime decreased from 900,000 hours in 2000 to 518,000 two years ago and crept up last year to 572,000 hours. Costs jumped nearly 16 percent.
The District is in the midst of a 30-day crime emergency, prompted earlier this month by 14 homicides in 11 days, and the D.C. Council has approved $8 million to cover costs of overtime.
