BALTIMORE — In a letter made public to social media, the president of Baltimore's police union apologized to officers after learning they were notified of forced overtime to cover this weekend's events.
— Baltimore City FOP (@FOP3) September 3, 2022
The City and Department's mismanagement will also cost Baltimore taxpayer's nearly $1 million dollars in overtime and costs that will not be recouped from the organizers of these events," said Mike Mancuso, president of FOP3.
The letter goes on to say the situation could've been avoided because the events have been planned for a year.
Mancuso says FOP3 has repeatedly reached out to the Department to fix their special events system, but they have yet to respond.
"If they acted three years ago, when FOP3 pointed out their failures (repeatedly) in this area, the need for forced overtime and exhausted officers may not have occurred," said Mancuso.
This weekend included the Maryland Cycling Classic, a 120.4 mile race that shut down several streets across the city.
On Saturday the city hosted the Under Armour Charles Street 12 and two-person relay, a race that started in Baltimore County and ended at Under Armour headquarters.
Mancuso plans to file a Special Step 3 Grievance.
