A Durham Police officer accused of receiving excessive overtime pay was fired Wednesday, Durham city officials announced.
According to a report released by the the Audit Services Department, Alesha Robinson-Taylor, a secondary employment coordinator for the police department, received $62,583.13 in extra pay for reporting 1,837 overtime hours between September 2008 and August 2009.
Robinson-Taylor’s attorney, Butch Williams, said Robinson-Taylor will appeal her termination with the police department.
“She plans to vehemently defend against any and all allegations of wrongdoing,” Williams told the (Raleigh) News & Observer.
The audit, released Sept. 29, found that the time reported by Robinson-Taylor was excessive. In addition to requesting pay equivalent to working 15 hours per workday, Robinson-Taylor also claimed overtime pay for nine hours worked each day she was on paid leave and eight hours a day during weekends and holidays. Robinson-Taylor told investigators during an interview that she worked while on leave, according to the audit.
The report also noted that the police department failed to properly monitor the distribution of overtime pay.
Deputy Police Chief B.J. Council approved the majority of Robinson-Taylor’s overtime without any proper documentation. Council told investigators that she allowed Robinson-Taylor to claim the overtime because Robinson-Taylor was not allowed to work a second job, per the terms of her contract with the police department.
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