Police side work probed

Sources: Albany review is examining potential time sheet irregularities

ALBANY — The city police department is investigating several officers who have worked on a special security detail for the city’s housing authority.

A police spokesman confirmed the department’s Office of Professional Standards launched an investigation after police officials were alerted to a problem with officers working the detail. Officer Steve Smith said he could not describe what the exact scope of the investigation is or how many officers are involved. He said the department alerted state Attorney General Letitia James’ office on Feb. 15.

It was not immediately clear if federal authorities were also involved in the matter; the housing authority is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Smith said no officers have been suspended or put on administrative leave as a result of the nascent investigation. A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said it was reviewing the department’s letter regarding the investigation.

Sources familiar with the investigation told the Times Union it appears to focus on allegations of double-dipping — including instances of officers’ time sheets showing them working the housing authority security detail while working shifts for the city.

Michael Delano, president of the PBA, declined to comment, saying he needed to gather more information on the investigation.

The city, the housing authority and the police union have a long-standing agreement that provides city police officers to work security for the housing authority. Chiquita D’arbeau, the housing authority’s executive director, said the detail has existed for at least the past 30 years and is meant to ensure the safety of residents. The housing authority security detail is a unique one and several sources said a limited pool of officers typically choose to work it.

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The detail does not function like other work, including overtime duties, that officers might do beyond the scope of a regular workweek. The housing authority is a separate agency from the city and as noted is funded by the federal government. Officers who work the detail receive between $34 and $46 an hour depending on their rank and the shift they work — less than what they would receive working a police overtime detail. They then receive a separate paper check and W-2 form from the housing authority to file with their taxes.

Typically, there are two officers — a supervisor and a patrol officer — assigned to the detail for each of the three shifts, according to documents provided by the housing authority. The first two shifts run five hours apiece and typically deal with administrative functions such as assisting with evictions and answering patrol calls. The overnight shift is an eighthour shift, and officers are supposed to patrol the authority’s high-rise buildings. Officers use a marked city police car for the housing security detail patrols, and the housing authority provides office space for them to work from. The officers on the detail are the first to respond to calls for service at housing authority properties within their patrol zone. The housing authority also pays for fuel and vehicle repairs to cars used by the detail, according to the department’s general orders.

They report to the housing authority’s security director, who is a retired city police detective sergeant.

Officers working the housing authority detail can also be called to assist with other calls in the city if needed, according to the department’s general orders guiding the officers’ ability to work jobs outside of the department.