Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano has another problem.
WXYZ-TV reports Sheriff Benny Napoleon is challenging Ficano over overtime costs at the Wayne County Jail.
Napoleon tells WXYZ's Ross Jones that he has a thousand empty beds on any given day, and adds: “I don’t have money to put deputies in the jail to open the floors.”
A 7 Action News investigation found that last year, the Wayne County Sheriffs Department spent almost $12 million in overtime—the most on record.
Sheriffs officials say they don’t have enough officers to keep up with all the county’s inmates. Insiders estimate they need between 42 and 50 new officers, and say they’ve been asking for more manpower for years. Hiring those employees would be cheaper than paying all that overtime, and the sheriff would save at least $3 million.
“Mathematically, it doesn’t make sense. We should be hiring younger officers,” said Undersheriff Dan Pfannes.
Ficano said: “Well that’s something that’s being worked out. They’re looking at it and they’re going see what they need to do it within their budget, it’s a budget issue.”
