Constables' Time Sheets Under Investigation

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- At the Addison Terrace public housing community in the Hill District, residents stay in at night for their safety.

This year, the housing authority's paying more than a million dollars to the Victory Security firm to help the Pittsburgh police patrol this and other communities.

But a former Victory supervisor says the authority isn't getting what it's paying for.

Brian Van Dusen says he was fired after showing the security firm's owners that constables working there were doctoring worksheets and getting paid for hours they never worked.

Andy Sheehan: "So basically the taxpayer is being defrauded."

"Definitely they're being defrauded. If they're billing for hours that officers aren't there, that's very significant," Van Dusen said.

According to Van Dusen, to get paid, constables would write work reports, indicating a full night of patrol such as one for February 7.

Only problem is the computer log shows the report was written the day before the patrols took place on February 6.

"Here you have it - a 12 to 8 report filed at 10:43 the day before," Van Dusen said. "Now how can you effectively do that unless you got a crystal ball."

KDKA's Andy Sheehan placed several calls to Victory Security and even went to their offices in Carnegie and later got statement saying they are investigating the charges.

The housing authority issued its own statement saying it's launching its own probe.

"These allegations while not yet proven, are not being taken lightly and have resulted in the authority launching a full-scale investigation into these claims."

But the Housing Authority says it will try to get to the bottom of these claims and if they are borne out take appropriate action to ensure that tax dollars are properly spent and the people living in these communities have adequate protection.

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