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Policy 102 - Overtime Management

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I. PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to provide a structure
for monitoring, managing and controlling the use of
personnel overtime.

II. POLICY

All personnel of this agency must be mindful of and
exercise fiscal responsibility in the use of public
funds and resources. Overtime pay requires
particular attention because it constitutes a
sizeable expenditure of agency revenue that is
provided at premium rates. Without adequate
controls, unplanned expenditures can create budget
overruns and divert resources from key operational
areas. Therefore, it is the policy of this agency to
effectively manage the use of overtime and that of
each employee to use overtime in a responsible and
judicious manner.

III. DEFINITIONS

OVERTIME: Work performed in excess of 40 hours in one
week or as otherwise established by state law.

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA) (29 U.S.C. 207(A)):
Federal law regulating wages and work hours to
include provisions for overtime pay.

IV. PROCEDURES

A. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. This agency conforms to overtime provisions of
the FLSA and applicable state laws. Personnel
shall refer to this agency's personnel pay
policy, FLSA policy and labor agreements for
details on exempt and non-exempt positions,
circumstances in which overtime pay may be
granted, rates of payment for all overtime that
qualifies for payment at the premium rate and
related matters.

2. Whenever reasonably possible, paid overtime
will be used in lieu of unpaid accumulated time
(A/T). However, Employees have the option of
and are encouraged to request A/T.

3. At the discretion of the Chief of Police or
their designee some assignments requiring
officers to work in excess of) eighty (80)
hours in a pay period may be for A/T only.
Prior approval must be given by the Chief of
Police or their designee for these types of
assignments.

  • a. Such assignments may consist of: stakeouts,
    Telephone Reporting Unit (TRU), prisoner
    transport, etc...
  • b. If an officer has accumulated the maximum
    amount of A/T authorized by the Chief of
    Police, they can not work A/T only
    assignments.

B. REPORTING, RECORDING AND ANALYSIS

1. All overtime worked shall be annotated on the
employee's time card and be approved by a
supervisor when the overtime is worked. The
supervisor shall initial next to the overtime
entry on the right side of the time card with
their initials and payroll number indicating
their approval. The time card will be processed
through the chain of command to the payroll
clerk for processing.

  • a. Paid overtime and unpaid compensatory time
    will be recorded separately.
  • b. Overtime expenditures shall be kept
    separately by function (e.g., briefings and
    roll calls, training, investigations) and by
    the agency unit in which the expenditure is
    incurred. Individual and summary data will
    be compiled on at least a monthly basis.
  • c. Overtime funds expended under federal or
    state grant programs will be accounted for
    separately from those in the general budget.

2. The Payroll Clerk shall maintain overtime
records and provide individual and summary data
of overtime worked on a monthly basis to
supervisors and command personnel.

3. Unit commanders and supervisors shall monitor
individual and summary data reports of overtime
expenditures. Identification of unusual,
unexplained or disproportionate expenditures in
overtime may include but are not limited to the
following circumstances:

  • a. Disproportionate overtime by individual
    officer(s) engaged in or assigned to the
    same task/function;
  • b. Significant and unexplained changes in
    overtime expenditures when compared to
    similar periods of time;
  • c. Significantly higher overtime costs for
    completion of the same or similar activities
    or tasks previously performed; and
  • d. Expenditure of overtime at a rate that could
    exceed or negatively affect the agency's
    budget or that of individual units, programs
    or functions.

C. OVERTIME MANAGEMENT

1. No task or function shall be performed on
overtime by agency personnel that could
otherwise be performed during regular work
hours.

2. Supervisors shall establish and hold personnel
responsible for a level of performance during
standard work hours that minimizes the need for
overtime and/or the need for additional
personnel.

3. Only overtime required to meet vital service
demands of the department shall be authorized.

4. All tasks and functions that require the use of
overtime shall be routinely evaluated in terms
of their cost-effectiveness. Alternatives to
the use of premium pay to accomplish these
tasks or program objectives shall be evaluated
and implemented where appropriate.

5. All overtime must receive advance authorization
by a supervisor unless unreasonable due to
emergency circumstances.

a. Unit and shift commanders and designated
supervisors are the personnel primarily
responsible for authorizing and managing
overtime.

b. The Chief of Police, or his designee, must
approve overtime requests designed to fill
an on-going personnel vacancy or meet an
unusually high yet foreseeable workload.
(i.e., personnel vacancies critical to the
department's operations, authorized
positions left unfilled when vacated
permanently or for extended and indefinite
periods of time).

c. Supervisors and command staff shall take
measures and issue directives where
reasonably possible to reduce or limit the
demand for overtime. This includes but is
not limited to supervisory efforts to
perform the following:

  • i. Assign non-emergency service requests
    received near shift change to on-coming
    shift personnel.
  • ii. Use Part Time I, Part Time II, and
    Auxiliary officers/employees where
    feasible to offset temporary personnel
    shortages/vacancies and meet
    specialized needs.
  • iii. Anticipate and manage workload
    requirements where reasonable to best
    utilize standard duty hours.
  • iv. Manage and coordinate vacation, A/T and
    related requests to minimize manpower
    deficiencies.
  • v. Ensure that officers who make arrests late in their shift receive available assistance to process prisoners as quickly as possible.
  • vi. Ensure that arresting officers in
    misdemeanor incidents conduct tests,
    take statements or witness any
    actions/procedures essential to
    prosecution so that only the minimum
    officer(s) will be needed to testify in
    court.
  • vii. Arrest reports should include only the
    minimum number of officers; those who
    were integral to the arrest and who
    must be subpoenaed in any subsequent
    court testimony.
  • viii. Ensure that agency overtime
    policy, rules and regulations and the
    particulars of any labor agreement are
    consistently adhered to by agency
    personnel as they relate to overtime
    for court appearances, standby, travel
    time, training, holiday leave,
    vacations and related matters