|
|
| Officer Shortages Costing California |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 08/12/2002 |
|
It could take California's Department of Corrections until 2009 to resolve a chronic shortage of prison officers, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in overtime, an audit reported recently. The overtime costs exceeded $110 million in just the first half of the last fiscal year, according to the audit released July 30. A similar audit in November found that overtime accounted for the bulk of the department's nearly $200 million budget shortfall two years ago. Overtime currently goes to the most senior - and thus most costly - officers, State Auditor Elaine Howle said. Her office projected the department could save $5 million a year by spreading out overtime among less-senior officers. Similarly, the department doesn't do enough to send newly trained officers to the prisons that have the worst overtime problem, she said. Department spokesman Russ Heimerich said the department hopes to resolve its officer shortage in three or four years, at the low end of audit projections. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think