DES MOINES – A Des Moines Register investigation revealed last week that The Des Moines Police Department (DMPD) has spent $11 million on overtime in the past five fiscal years, with one to four officers a year averaging more than 60 hours of work per week.
The findings came after a Des Moines Register review of overtime records.
In the wake of that investigation, DMPD Chief of Police Judy A. Bradshaw issued the following statement:
The Des Moines Register recently printed an article regarding overtime incurred by the Des Moines Police Department. I wanted to provide some additional insights into how the overtime costs are paid.
The Police Department has the largest budget in City government. Like any other budget, there are line items—appropriations to spend on a particular item. Examples of these line items would be salaries, vehicles, equipment, uniforms, and overtime. The City Manager, the Finance Director, and I recognize that, in all likelihood, we will overspend on our overtime appropriation each year. The overage is reduced by two contributing factors: salary savings from openings and reimbursements from organizers of special events.
Salary savings are created when sworn officers and civilian personnel leave the department, but these vacancies are not immediately filled. The salaries for these positions accumulates and this money used for overtime. We normally build up several sworn officer openings prior to beginning an Academy. For instance, in 2013 we had 30 openings accumulate over an extended period of time and the salary savings from those unfilled positions were used to pay overtime costs.
truck drivers, pilots, and some other employees need a certain amount of time off. why not police?
OT makes for a happy police officer. It’s base pay times 2. Police officers used to live in modest homes, now they live in the best neighborhoods.
OT is what it’s all about. They know this. Drugs help pad pockets. Lots of OT.
Its very hard to believe government employees would abuse the taxpayer and the system
Police are money grubbing abusers, period. Crime pays and they know it. How about we allow police to seize assets without being found guilty of crime? Wait! We do.
It just seems that 11 million over 5 years (2.2 million per/year) would pay for at least 20 new officers on the payroll. I can see a little overtime for unexpected occurrences but this is pretty abusive. I don’t think they can excuse that much. It sure sound like they have gotten used to the overtime money as part of their income.
no matter what column you stick it in. Its still coming out of your budget.. STUPID.
Don’t worry, peons. We’ve got this all under control. Just pay your taxes and shut up.
You got it Fred. Change only comes from “within”. They squash any truth-tellers who step up to examine them. I once used to think Jehovah’s Witnesses non-politics policy was apathetic, but now I realize the truth in their abstentia. This world is sick. The best we can do is dig in, and survive on our own.