BALTIMORE — An Inspector General's Office (OIG) investigation has led to the departure of a Baltimore Police officer who'd spent nearly three decades on the job suspended.
Back in October 2020, the OIG received an anonymous complaint alleging the officer was being allowed to work overtime in a law enforcement capacity despite having no police powers.
The report doesn't name the officer or specifics into what led to their suspension.
However, the officer in question had reportedly been involved in an on-duty deadly shooting in 1993 that led to criminal charges.
Years later those charges were dropped. During the legal process the department agreed to keep the officer employed with the agency, but permanently suspended his police powers. The agreement was last upheld in 2002.
Part of the pact let the officer maintain his collective bargaining rights, regular salary increases, and ability to work overtime.
Between 2016 and 2020 the officer earned $158,803.76 in overtime pay, according to the OIG. His basic annual salary as of 2020 was $92,548.
The OIG concluded the agreement amounted to financial waste, suggesting the suspended officer's daily work functions could have been performed by a civilian employee for nearly half the cost.
In a May 2021 letter responding to the investigation, Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison wrote that the officer's employment would be terminated effective August 1.
