Policy

Police OT for Anaheim Protests Cost $1.7 Million

That's a whole lot of disproportional response.

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The Police Department spent $1.7 million on officer overtime during a four-week stretch when people took to the streets to protest two fatal shootings by police and long-simmering political frustration over the summer.

The department deployed SWAT officers, mounted patrols, detectives and patrol officers amounting to nearly 24,500 hours of overtime in July and August. Based on those hours, the average hourly overtime wage was $69.

"All of our officers were called in to work different aspects of the unrest," police Sgt. Bob Dunn said. "The public's safety is the chief's responsibility, and we staff to make sure the citizens are safe."