Charleston police chief cites coding, special events after council flags $3.3M overtime

Police Chief Dempsey told the Charleston Public Safety Committee on March 22 that a recent review shows pay-code misclassification and heavy staffing for special events account for much of the department's reported overtime this year, responding to a council member's concern that overtime had reached $3,300,000.

"We do have a policy for our overtime," Dempsey said, adding that some officers selected an administrative pay code when the time should have been coded differently. He said the department is running reports, directing senior staff to correct coding, and that deputy chiefs will add additional checks in the payroll system (Telesat) to reduce errors.

A councilmember who asked about the figure also asked whether overtime is driven by administrative work or boots-on-the-ground policing. Dempsey said special events such as bicycle races, regattas and concerts account for a large share of overtime and that many off-duty assignments are private-pay, not city-funded.

"Most times when different groups come in... it's private pay," Dempsey said, offering Kroger as an example. He described hold-harmless agreements the city requires when private organizations hire off-duty officers.

Council members raised officer fatigue as a public-safety concern. The councilmember who cited the $3.3 million number said long hours can impair judgment. Dempsey replied the department limits the number of hours an officer can work in a 24-hour period and that overtime is not mandatory.

On staffing, Dempsey said the department's roster stands at 153 officers, including personnel at the Naval Academy; academy graduations around May 17 and upcoming swearing-in and hiring will move the roster closer to 160 if recruits complete required training. He said recruiting has improved, with 52 applicants currently in the pipeline, and that the mayor has supported a budget proposal that would fund 15 new patrol cars.

Dempsey also briefed the committee on community-policing outreach and investigative units' high solve rates, and said architects will soon issue a pre-demolition bid for the planned police station renovation.

The committee did not take any formal action on overtime controls at the meeting; Dempsey said staff will continue auditing pay codes and reported steps to increase supervisory checks in payroll.

The committee had approved its previous meeting minutes earlier in the session and adjourned after the reports.