I was gonna, but no, Gus gets a pass today - good job.

Bitter little person aren't you?

I have been in law enforcement for years and no one gets paid overtime for special olympics volunteer fundraising. We do it on our own time because it's important to us. Get over yourself and stop being so bitter.

Are you at work posting this? Then technically you're getting paid to screw around on the computer..jerk.

3 cheers for the good guy! Great job Detective Gus Martinez.

I wonder if he was "on the clock" claiming overtime.

It must be hard going thru life always whining.

City grapples with LAPD's overtime pay
By Jason Kandel, Staff Writer LA Daily News
Posted:

DailyNews.com

Los Angeles Police Department overtime pay has skyrocketed almost 150 percent over the past decade as officer ranks remained relatively flat, a lawsuit capped the amount of comp time officers could take in lieu of pay and police made millions of dollars while waiting to testify in court.

Sizable increases in base pay - which is how overtime pay is determined - are also part of the reason LAPD's annual overtime bill surged from about $32 million in fiscal year 1997-98 to nearly $79 million in 2007-08, according to LAPD figures.

Police and city officials say the overtime is justified for an understaffed department that has worked hard to cut crime down to its lowest levels in decades. And they note that despite the increase, the department still ranks fifth in overtime pay nationwide behind the Oakland, Boston, New York and Houston police departments.

But with the city facing its worst budget deficit in history and the nation's financial system unraveling, law enforcement overtime is taking an even bigger toll.

"It's cheaper than hiring more police officers," said Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith, a member of the city's Budget and Finance Committee. "For a long time that was our reasoning. It was acceptable because it is actually cheaper.

"It kind of spun out of control."

Anticipating the need for more overtime pay, LAPD's leaders have budgeted for large increases in OT each year. But each year, the department overspends the budget - by an average of nearly $6 million a year since 2002-03, according to department figures.

The city recently approved a 22 percent jump in overtime this year, to an all-time high of $86.7 million for 1.6 million hours.

"Everybody agrees we need to make sure we're having a Police Department that is given the resources," said Arif Alikhan, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's deputy mayor for homeland security and public safety. "Does that mean they get a blank check? Obviously not."

Prodded by the city, Police Chief William Bratton has been working over the last year to clamp down on overtime. The City Council mandated monthly status reports on the issue from a task force created to come up with plans on how to rein in the spending.

To cut overtime, officials have focused on the time officers spend in court, which on average makes up about 30 percent of overtime pay, or $16.8 million.

Police floor wardens and court monitors check in with court clerks and prosecutors throughout the day to make sure the officers called to court are actually needed or can be released.

A new automated subpoena system in which subpoenas are e-mailed by badge number to officers was implemented earlier this month. The plan replaced a cumbersome paper system that required subpoenas to be hand-delivered.

"It's very exciting. Not only is it faster, they have more time to arrange their lives and let their supervisors know if there's going to be a conflict," said Janet Moore, the director of the Bureau of Central Operations for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

"We have built a lot of checks and balances for increased accountability."

LAPD Capt. Ann Young, who oversees the court liaison section, said court overtime used to be handled on an honor system, but that the department is working hard to improve its accountability.

"We all could have done a better job at enforcing it," she said. Now, "it's a more efficient program than what we had before."

Overtime makes up 6 percent of the LAPD's total $1.3 billion budget. At $900 million, sworn officer salaries make up the biggest chunk at 69 percent.

On average, LAPD officers make $8,000 a year in overtime - on top of an average annual base salary of $68,400.

By comparison, Oakland officers average $35,000 in overtime per year; Boston, $20,000; New York, $12,000; and Houston, $10,000, according to a study by the LAPD's Fiscal Operations Division.

"The occurrence of overtime is actually pretty steady," said LAPD Sgt. Ben Trask, a field supervisor at the North Hollywood Division, who estimated that one or two police units a day work overtime.

"We're held accountable, for sure. ... A lot of times there's nothing you can do about it. We have our crime missions and we encourage our guys to be proactive. Also, we expect them to work with us to manage and reduce overtime."

One of the biggest factors contributing to the jump in overtime is the annual raise. Police have received an average 45 percent boost in cost-of- living pay over the past decade. Also contributing to the rise was a Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit in 1999 that required LAPD to pay 1 1/2 hours of base pay for every hour worked over the standard 40-hour work week.

Before the lawsuit, the LAPD paid out about half of all overtime in cash and the rest in comp time. After the lawsuit, the department has paid 85 percent in cash and the rest in comp time, said Laura Filatoff, commanding officer of the Fiscal Operations Division.

Making the rise even more startling, the number of LAPD officers eligible to receive overtime - those with the rank of lieutenant and below - remained essentially the same in the period. Overtime-eligible officers grew from 9,340 in fiscal 1997-98 to 9,533 last fiscal year.

The city is watching every penny during its worst budget crisis. Villaraigosa last week warned the city could face as much as a $400 million budget shortfall as tax revenues drop amid a national economic downturn.

"I think they're being very careful but he also has his priority of increasing the ranks of police officers," Filatoff said.

The mayor wants to boost officer ranks to 10,000 by 2010, but is finding it difficult to raise the total as increasing numbers of retirees cancel out new recruits.

Hank Hernandez, general counsel to the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents rank-and-file officers, says it's either overtime or more cops.

"The fact is we have an undermanned Police Department," he said. To get crime to the levels the department mandates, "we need the manpower."

Get over yourself, you stupid and self-important crud.

...he took a sh*t on the taxpayers, ofcourse. Duh!?..

He get's a 5 min. break every hour you moron!

This record shouldn't count. It should be how long you can stay on without getting off, just like the old Brady Bunch show where Cindy and Bobby couldn't get off the see-saw or they would be disqualified.

Either way I think it is a great thing this officer did for charity.

"just sayin"

He was on his own time and not being paid.

disgusting dork

Wow, your mouth must be in a permanent pucker from all that sour bile you spew. Try industrial strength Scope.

Are you kidding me? Why you have to be hatin'? I bet you've done things "on the clock" that you shouldn't have.

I would be willing to bet

You have no clue though. It's called clueless!

Ass

That's why you are a super loser.

People who hate cops are usually the ones who think the rules shouldn't apply to them. They speed, drive drunk, take drugs, ignore lights and stop signs, think they have a right to trespass and occassionally smack people around. These folks should register themselves as cop-haters. This way, should they ever need a cop because another cop hater has decided to rape their wife, daughter or girlfriend the cops can leave them alone. They won't have to be bothered with someone trying to make things right for them. It works for me!

If this is dumb then you must be DUMBER!!! Remember: It's better to be thought a dope than to open your mouth and remove all dought!!!

doubt....not dought

I definately agree. Good stories puts a smile on everyones face.

lourdes0129:

It is a feel good story, but there are some posters on here that always try to make a negative out of a positive.

Fric,

The problem is, that they don't recognize their problem to begin with. Karma dude. They'll wind up having a child with down syndrome or some ailment. That's what it takes for people like this to see in the mirror what they're looking at.

Wise words Creek Dog. Peace to you.

Well said!!!