Shortly after taking command of the Chicago Police Department in April 2020, Superintendent David Brown moved to curtail overtime spending by issuing an order requiring supervisors who are ranked deputy chief or higher to approve all overtime requests. More than a year later, as grantees at South Side Weekly uncovered, it’s unclear whether that order had any effect.
Records obtained by the Weekly appear to indicate the vast majority of overtime clocked by officers since Brown issued the directive has been approved by lower-ranking officers such as lieutenants and sergeants, who seem to still be primarily responsible for managing its oversight. The department claims that is simply because lower-ranking supervisors are entering the data, and insists all overtime is being authorized by deputy chiefs and above.
You can read the final installment of their series on Chicago police’s overtime abuse, here.