Summary
Court-related police overtime has become a major financial burden, with uniformed officers spending hours waiting in courthouses while on the clock. The issue has raised concerns among city officials and PICA, which is considering hiring a consultant to study ways to reduce these costs. Some potential solutions discussed include reviving the former practice of holding preliminary hearings in district stations rather than court buildings. Police Commissioner Richard Ross stated that the District Attorney’s Office was open to the idea but that judicial approval would be required. PICA Executive Director Harvey Rice noted that fingerprint-based time tracking had been replaced with a manual sign-in system, potentially leading to inefficiencies and abuse. The article underscores the need for reforms in court scheduling and officer deployment to curb unnecessary overtime spending.