WOWK
CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — It’s not just leadership issues that are stirring up controversy in the Charleston Police Department. The staggering cost of police overtime pay is also raising some eyebrows.
Major events such as the return of the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta and Live on the Levee fuel the need for police overtime. But the city says they also generate a huge economic impact. The city is also boasting of a low crime rate and high arrest rates, but those also come with an increased overtime cost.
The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy says Charleston Police overtime exceeded $9 million in the past few years, three times what was budgeted.
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