City controller says some businesses aren't paying for off-duty police officers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- An audit from Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb says some businesses that are using off-duty Pittsburgh police officers for events or security are not paying their fair share.
Lamb calls it a "significant amount" of money that is not being paid. What's being impacted is the fund that pays the officers. According to public safety, the officers have been paid for their work.
Lamb's audit looked at the years 2018 and 2019. In both years, auditors found the police secondary employment trust fund was owed more than $100,000 each year.
"Understand that money they pay goes to the police officers. It doesn't go to the city," he said.
His office recommends police adopt a formal process to review businesses with balance and consider revoking or reporting them; improve internal controls to monitor hours that officers work for secondary jobs; and avoid granting services to ineligible partners.
"It's really just a matter of making sure people are paying on what they are required to pay and we are not engaging them in additional work if they haven't paid their past dues," he said.
Wednesday, the controller's office released the city's popular annual financial report for 2021. In it, he says the city is recovering from the pandemic but it's not quite to the 2019 levels on income yet.
The parking tax revenue is up this year to more than $16 million after being $7.3 million at this point last year but commuting patterns have changed.
"I don't think downtown is going to be the downtown we knew from 2019," Lamb said.
He has hope the city can continue to fiscally recover from the pandemic.
"I'm surprised we are as close as we are, especially given what's happening to downtown commuters," the controller told reporters on Wednesday.
With the funds for secondary police jobs, public safety says it will accept the recommendations of the controller. The controller's office says there is still enough money to pay officers for their work.
