‘EXCESSIVE’ OVERTIME
Audit report found most of the 25 state police employees reviewed earned more in OT than in regular wages
Auditors reviewing the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection raised concerns about “excessive amounts of overtime” for Connecticut State Police employees in a report published Thursday.
The authors of the report, John C. Geragosian and Clark J. Chapin, found the overwhelming majority of the 25 employees reviewed, 19 troopers and one dispatcher, earned more in overtime than they did in regular wages.
“For the two-year period, the 20 employees earned $4,305,386 in regular pay and $6,831,535 in overtime,” the report, which covers fiscal years ended in 2020 and 2021, said. “They averaged $107,635 in annual salary and $170,788 in overtime.”
Furthermore, 16 of the 25 employees — 14 troopers, one dispatcher and one program manager — reported working atypically long hours: 13.4 hours per day for 14 consecutive days. In one two-week pay period, those 16 reported working between 88 and 162.5 hours in overtime on top of their regular work hours.
Geragosian and Chapin noted the combined overtime costs hurt the department’s budget in
the short term and the state’s budget in the long term, as the calculation of retirement benefits takes into account overtime hours worked.
It also poses a threat to day-to-day state police operations, they said. Are troopers working long hours still able to perform their duties safely and effectively, considering the multitude of negative effects sleep deprivation and burnout have on the mind and body? If not, resulting errors and mistakes, Geragosian and Chapin warned, “may expose DESPP and the public to risks.”
The report recommended the department take steps to reduce overtime hours, including the revelation on its list of significant findings.
“The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection should increase its staffing levels and ensure that it can meet scheduling requirements without incurring significant overtime costs,” the report said. “The department should also implement controls to prevent employees from working excessive overtime shifts and consecutive days.”
In a response included in the report, the department expressed support for the recommendation.
“The Division of State Police is actively recruiting and hiring new recruits, troopers, and dispatchers,” they said. “This will increase staffing levels, helping to control overtime costs.”
The report noted the same findings concerning overtime for state police employees were reported in the audit for fiscal years ended 2018 and 2019.