CMPD's Overtime Nightmare

Recently CMPD Command implemented a new directive to limit overtime within the department.

For taxpayers. it is another example knee jerk management rather than leadership and planning and just another example of wasteful spending and endless mismanagement.  

But for Officers it is massive screw driver and a no-back hex-head stainless steel SCREW!.

As the FOP letter below outlines this new directive limits overtime to a maximum of 10 hours per seven-day work period and 20 hours with a fourteen-day work period. 

 

The FOP letter also points out to declining morale, increased attrition to other agencies and a growing sense that for Officers, their well-being is over looked.

Interesting to know that the same staffing concerns voiced two and three years ago are being down played by Command saying that CMPD will soon be fully staffed. As Redford points out the "fully" is based on outdated figures from when Charlotte had fewer resident.

It also clearly discounts upcoming retirements and transfers to other agencies. 

As CP has pointed out in the past CMPD is woefully understaffed. By comparison Boston PD has more than 2,200 sworn Officers and yet the city population is under 675,000 vs Charlotte's nearly 1,000,000 citizens. Which might explain Boston's 2024 homicide count of 36 vs Charlotte's 110.

FOP President Redford asks that the city and department either rescind the discretionary overtime policy or transition the Spectrum Arena Traffic Management to an off-duty payment system.

Most of us taxpayers are unaware of the role that over-time and secondary employment plays in the lives of our CMPD Officers. But for the vast number of these men and woman these "side gig" assignments offer additional pay that is needed to make ends met, keep the mortgage current, fund their retirement plan and hopefully pay for their kids education.

The other issue is when there's a lack of man power, the boots on the ground have to come from somewhere.

Finally the City gives a $305,000 payment to a butt hurt police chief, $1.5 million to fund a blacks only night club, $600 million to a billionaire football team owner with a losing team and $245 million for upgrades to the Spectrum Arena yet paying a CMPD Officer an extra $15 an hour for overtime sets command into panic mode. What is wrong with these people?

So how do you see it?

And one more thing..... Let's be careful out there.