DETROIT (AP) - Detroit police are trying to curb overtime costs that have increased in recent years.
The Detroit News reports the city paid $40 million in overtime for Detroit officers during the 2017-18 fiscal year, up from $28.3 million in the 2016-17 fiscal year. The newspaper says that’s also up from $16.9 million paid in the 2012-13 fiscal year.
Detroit police Chief James Craig says: “There are valid reasons why officers need to work overtime, but we need to better manage it.”
Union officials say overtime costs will increase if Detroit doesn’t do more to retain officers. Mark Diaz, president of the Detroit Police Officers Association, says some officers work 80-hour weeks and “that’s dangerous because they get burned out.”
The city has been hiring more officers and additional hiring is planned.
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Information from: The Detroit News, http://detnews.com/
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