Even Police Chief Jose Lopez knew about, and defended, the overtime.
On Wednesday, City Manager Tom Bonfield announced that Deputy Chief B.J. Council would retire in the wake of the scandal. Council had approved Officer Alesha Robinson-Taylor 's claims of $62,583 in overtime for a year.
The reason Robinson-Taylor deserved the overtime, Council reportedly said, was that other officers are allowed to "moonlight," but Robinson-Taylor couldn't, therefore she deserved the extra pay. One problem with that rationale was that other officers actually worked the hours. There was no evidence that Robinson-Taylor put in anywhere near the time she claimed.
Some staff members questioned the OT and alerted superiors, but were given the brush-off. At a meeting of the DPD's executive team, Chief Lopez "defended the overtime expenditures," the audit reported.
It didn't come to light until Bonfield heard about it from a citizen. Bonfield deserves much credit for pursuing the matter through the city's Audit Services Department.
Another hero was Capt. Charlene Balch, Robinson-Taylor's supervisor, who questioned the claims and brought them to Council's attention. Council responded by taking over responsibility for approving the overtime.
We also applaud Administrative Services Bureau Chief Jesse Burwell, a civilian on the force, who told Lopez and Deputy Police Chief Ron Hodge the overtime "was not reasonable."
Wednesday, Chief Lopez said he was reorganizing some jobs so the situation wouldn't be repeated. With closer supervision, he said, "we probably wouldn't be at the juncture we're at."
That's right, but he should point the finger at himself. Lopez had the power and the knowledge to stop the abuse, but didn't. With closer and more ethical supervision -- by Lopez himself -- this wouldn't have happened, or at least it could have been halted much sooner.
It's doubly maddening that this occurred when the economy was crashing and the city was slashing expenses.
It should be a matter of deep concern to City Council and the public that a culture exists in the police department -- and in the department's upper management -- that a fast and loose attitude toward taxpayers' money is somehow acceptable. A strong message needs to be sent that it is not.
So far, Council's retirement is the only fallout from the scandal. It is not enough. This is evidence of a systemic problem in the police department. Bonfield and City Council have a golden opportunity to make deep, positive changes, and we encourage them to seize it.
