Please read this terrific article by Brian Sharp over that the D&C on Police overtime. A lengthy indepth article to be sure.  I’ll break out some items of interest but in essence, Police overtime has risen dramatically since 2000.  The $3 million dollar drop is large because of the almost $10 million the previous year, The City has an upcoming budget gap of $44 million dollars,  Zero tolerance drove up overtime.  There is also a discussion of tactical policing where supervisors adjust shifts and somehow overcome overtime restrictions.

Here are the financial impacts of overtime.

In 2008, police officers billed a record $9.6 million in overtime and paid comp time, making the decline to last year’s $6.5 million pronounced. The department finished last year with four fewer officers than in 2008.

I just find that number staggering.   Especially when

Whereas 55 officers logged more than 500 hours of overtime in 2008 (four exceeding 1,000 hours) only 15 did so last year. The highest total was 647 hours — the equivalent of more than 16 work weeks — by a sergeant on the west side.

The number of officers whose overtime alone was greater than Rochester’s $30,711 median household income rose from none in 2000 to 34 in 2008, and then declined to six last year.

16 work weeks of overtime?  That is 4 months?  I have to wonder about burn out and effectiveness - I mean double shifts, no breaks  may be good for the individuals bank account but it dulls the senses and at some point the person is not as effective as one who is rested.

Police overtime is lucrative however.

City police can take overtime in pay or they can bank the hours as comp time, which then can be taken as days off or cashed in later or at retirement. Hours become a city expense when they are redeemed and are paid at the employee’s current pay rate, not the rate of pay when the hours were accrued.

When coupled with this ‘graf.

A look at who is working overtime shows the ranks still dominated by officers at or nearing retirement eligibility. The state calculates pension based on an average of total wages received in the final three years of employment.

Like I said the article is a good read and raises a lot of questions on overtime and the system in general.

Related posts:

1. Gaming the system: Pension spiking
2. Massive Ad buy in Rochester Congressional districts - $2.7 Million
3. Is the Gravy Train over? Paterson cuts $6.4 million dollars to Rochester
4. Greece Police Chief focuses on public trust
5. Greece Police Chief Todd Baxter