On Monday night, a reporter for Fox News tweeted that he had obtained a memo from LAPD Police Chief Michel R. Moore that indicated the police offiers who had worked incredible amounts of overtime during the fiery protests in Los Angeles would not be paid for their time for time they served after June 7.
Bill Melugin tweeted, “LAPD officers racked up $40 million in overtime during the recent protests, but won’t be paid for it, and will instead be given comp time, according to a memo sent out by Chief Moore I obtained. Budget is out of cash. LAPD sources tell me morale is at ‘rock bottom.’”
Melugin continued, “According to multiple LAPD sources, LAPD Transit Division/MTA services, which is paid via OT, had 43 officers cancel their shifts today, and they are now averaging 12-18 cancellations per shift.”
According to multiple LAPD sources, LAPD Transit Division/MTA services, which is paid via OT, had 43 officers cancel their shifts today, and they are now averaging 12-18 cancellations per shift. I’ll be live at 6 on @FOXLA
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) June 16, 2020
Moore wrote to the DOC Communications Division on the evening of June 11:
I recognize that you have worked tirelessly these past couple weeks during the protests and prior to that during the Safer At Home order. Your dedication and commitment have not gone unnoticed. During this extraordinary time, including the full mobilization of our sworn members, the Department has expended more than $40 million dollars in overtime expenses. This amount far exceeds any budgetary reserve to address unusual occurrences.
Therefore, this notice is to advise Department personnel that as of June 7, 2020, pursuant to Memorandum of Understanding 24, Article 6. 1D, compensation for overtime shall be in the form of time at the appropriate rate (straight time or time-and-a-half). Previously, sworn employees could only accrue up to 150 hours of Compensatory Time Off. (CTO) As of June 7, 2020, this CTO cap will no longer apply.
Additionally, all non-essential overtime is canceled … Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) overtime will continue and be compensated in the form of time, until the Department is reimbursed by MTA … Commanding Officers and Supervisors shall make every effort to ensure that essential overtime (i.e., court and extended end of watch) is minimized.
On Monday night, the LAPD, which has nearly 10,000 officers, as The Los Angeles Times noted, issued this statement to Melugin:
The Los Angeles Police Department offers cash overtime to officers when it is available, and when those allotted amounts are depleted, that compensation is offered in time. The COVID-19 pandemic and full mobilization of the Department depleted that cash reserve before the end of the fiscal year and we transitioned to comp time last week. Regarding MTA details, consistent with our notice officers will be compensated in time, and when the MTA reimburses the Department the officers’ time compensation will be converted to cash.
The Times added, “The moves come as the City Council is scheduled Tuesday to take up a request to cut the LAPD’s budget by $100 million to $150 million, and put the money into other programs. Neither Mayor Eric Garcetti nor the council has explained how those reductions would be achieved.”
This article has been revised to clarify that LAPD officers will not be paid in cash for work after June 7.
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