City Spends $29 Million On Overtime

Columbus spent $29 million in overtime last year, 10 Investigates’ Paul Aker reported on Thursday.

The amount increased by 15 percent from the previous year and is the highest year on record, Aker reported.

The Columbus Division of Police paid one Columbus detective was paid $53,000 in overtime last year on top of his $68,000 salary and other compensation for a total of $132,441.

A dispatcher, whose salary was $49,000, made an additional $85,000 in overtime for a total of $135,672, which includes other compensation, records show

The police department saw a 30 percent increase in overtime payouts last year.
 
Amanda Ford, a spokeswoman for the Columbus Department of Public Safety, which oversees Columbus police and fire, said that additional officers soon will be on the street to cover shifts.

“We’ve hired recruits, but they’re still in the training academy,” Ford said. “So they’re not replacing those bodies out on the street because they’re still in training.”

In addition to the retirements, police officials said that officers were involved in a costly strike force to crack down on homicides.

The city finance director said that he expects things to improve soon.

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