PHOENIX — The City of Phoenix paid out huge amounts of overtime to dozens of police officers in January, according to an internal document obtained by ABC15.
The top earner, Officer Kenneth Vine Jr., was paid more than $39,000 for nearly 550 overtime hours.
The document also shows at least two dozen other officers received overtime payments exceeding $10,000.
The monthly report is titled “Sworn Police OT Top 50" and covers all of January 2024.
Multiple police sources told ABC15 that the overtime figures raise questions about overtime oversight.
A police spokesperson sent ABC15 the following emailed statement regarding the figures:
“Responding to emergency calls from our community is our top priority. During these staff-challenged times, we have utilized supplemental overtime shifts to ensure proper staffing to best serve our community. Officers are authorized for overtime shifts citywide. Officer Vine submitted overtime slips in December 2023, for shifts worked over the prior several months. This came to the immediate attention of his supervisors who asked for an audit. All past overtime slips were deemed credible and payout was authorized in January. Operations Order 3.4 covers employee overtime. The officer’s diversion from the policy was addressed by his supervisor.”
Phoenix policy states that overtime should be submitted weekly and approved by supervisors.
ABC15 is requesting more overtime records and information from Phoenix police to look into how well the city is managing and tracking overtime payments.
Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.
