KDKA Investigation: County On Pace To Spend $5 Million On OT At Jail

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - They call it the county jail, but for years it's also been something else -- a factory for overtime -- with corrections officers making more than double their base salaries.

That equates to as much as $110,000 to $120,000 a year.

KDKA-TV has been shining light on the problem for years, but it's only gotten worse.

The county is on a pace to spend $5 million on overtime at the jail this year, which is $2 million more than four years ago.

While about $500,000 of that is due to retraining, the county once again is vowing to curb any abuse.

"This is about accountability. If people are abusing the system, we will address it," Allegheny County Manager William McKain said.

One big problem is family medical leave, which allows employees to take up to 12 weeks off if they or a family member has a medical condition.

This year, 190 jail employees have taken family medical leave, which forces others to work overtime.

Furthermore, they've called off work at suspicious times.

Payroll records show that overtime spikes on Fridays and weekends and on days of major sporting events such as the Steelers' playoff game against the Ravens and the Pirates' Wild Card game against the Cubs.

"Overall, over the last three years, the numbers of calls at the jail have decreased, but you're right. On certain days, we do have an enhanced number of call-offs," McKain said.

In response, the county has hired a third party administrator to spot abuse and rein in the cost of call-offs and misused family medical leave. The administrator has been in place for a year and the county says it's starting to show results. Call-offs are beginning to decrease and the county has denied 66 requests for family medical leave.

"If there are instances where the documentation and justifications are not valid, we address that," McKain said.

At the same time, the county recognizes that staffing the jail 24/7 for 365 days a year takes its toll on the people who work there.

The corrections officers' union president did not return phone calls or emails, but has complained in the past that the problem is not about abuse. Instead, he blames understaffing, which is something County Controller Chelsa Wagner says more hiring should be studied.

"Even when you consider healthcare and other benefits, it still makes more sense. You're not going to have people stressed out, underpaid and overworked," Wagner said.

The county says it's maintaining staffing levels, but doesn't believe wholesale hiring will make this problem go away. First it must separate legitimate overtime from time taken for illegitimate reasons.

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