Detroit arson investigator padded hours for years and supervisors failed to stop him, OIG finds - Detroit Metro Times

Detroit Fire Lieutenant Embroiled in Overtime Scandal, Officials Blame Supervisors for Failure to Act

A Detroit fire lieutenant has been found to have padded his paycheck by submitting false time sheets for hours he never worked, and his supervisors were slow to act on the issue, according to a new investigation from the city's Office of Inspector General.

Lt. James Hill-Harris, an arson investigator, was accused of fraudulently overstating his hours worked by more than 150 hours over a four-year period. His supervisors failed to scrutinize his time sheets, and instead, turned a blind eye to the discrepancies.

According to the OIG report, Hill-Harris submitted time sheets that didn't match key-card activity, cellphone data, or daily activity logs at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters. In some instances, investigators found he was at home or outside of the city during hours he claimed to be on duty.

Two supervisors, Chief Dennis Richardson and Captain Rance Dixon, were also criticized for failing to perform basic oversight that should have caught the fraud. They approved or allowed time submissions without the documentation required under Detroit Fire Department rules, according to the OIG report.

The investigation found that a personal friendship between Richardson and Hill-Harris may have contributed to the lack of accountability. However, Richardson disputed showing favoritism, claiming he relied on captains to verify time sheets and did not consider it his responsibility to scrutinize lieutenants' hours.

Despite the allegations, Hill-Harris denied committing time fraud and denied missing work when he was on duty. His attorney argued that working remotely, work stacking, and clocking in/out from outside the City of Detroit network were widespread practices within the unit.

As a result of the investigation, the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) permanently revoked Hill-Harris's law-enforcement certification for "egregious misconduct involving his lack of accountability." However, the fire department initially fired him, but later reversed that decision after the fire union provided additional evidence.

Detroit Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms has since taken steps to prevent overtime fraud, including hiring a full-time civilian payroll manager and requiring prior approval for overtime. The fire department now conducts biweekly audits to detect any payroll discrepancies and mandates that employees physically clock in and out.

The investigation was widely praised by officials, with Inspector General Kamau C. Marable saying the partnership between the Detroit Police Department and the OIG was instrumental in identifying time fraud and protecting integrity in city operations.

I'm not surprised to see this happening, you know? Corruption can happen anywhere and it's always good for us to keep an eye out for it. The fact that two supervisors were involved too is a bit concerning though. But on the bright side, the fire department is taking steps to prevent overtime fraud now, like hiring a civilian payroll manager and conducting regular audits. That's gotta help ensure everyone's being honest about their hours worked . And kudos to Inspector General Kamau C. Marable for his team's hard work in identifying time fraud – it's awesome when we have people looking out for us!

I'm not surprised to hear about this scandal . It's like, come on, folks, you get paid to put out fires, not scam the system . I mean, who tries to fake their hours? Not exactly the most trustworthy thing to do when you're supposed to be risking your life to save others. And on top of that, having a personal friendship with your supervisor is just... no . Can't they just do their job without playing favorites? The fire department should've taken action sooner, but I guess hindsight's 20/20 now . At least they're taking steps to prevent this from happening again, like hiring a civilian payroll manager and making employees physically clock in .

omg did u know that i just tried this new coffee shop downtown and OMG it's sooo good!!! i mean i'm not even a coffee person but their cold brew is like a whole different level of delicious i was there with my friends and we were all chatting about our fave TV shows when suddenly one of us started talking about that new show on netflix... anyway back to the fire lieutenant thing i dont think its fair that he got off scot-free just because his supervisor had a personal connection with him i mean what if they hadnt? would we have seen this coming sooner?

this is just wild... i mean, come on! who does that? a fire lieutenant getting caught for padding his own paycheck by over 150 hours? it's like, what were the supervisors thinking?! they should've been keeping an eye on him, especially if there was even a hint of favoritism going on. but nope, just let him get away with it... and then they're surprised when he gets caught? and now we gotta deal with the fallout, like revoking his law enforcement certification and all that drama. anyway, i'm glad the fire department is taking steps to prevent this kind of thing from happening again, like hiring a full-time civilian payroll manager and all...

This whole thing is pretty shocking. I mean, a fire lieutenant stealing from the department? It's just not right. And the fact that his supervisors knew about it but did nothing is even more disturbing. It's like they were too close to him or something. The investigation found out that one of the supervisors had a personal friendship with Hill-Harris, which definitely influenced their actions. It's not hard to see how this could have happened.

I think this is a big deal because it goes beyond just one person's misconduct. It's about the whole culture and accountability within the department. If your supervisors aren't holding you accountable, why would you ever be honest?

It's good that the fire commissioner has taken steps to prevent this kind of thing from happening again, like hiring a civilian payroll manager and making sure everyone clocks in and out. That's the kind of transparency and oversight we need.

this is just another example of how corrupt systems can be exploited for personal gain . I mean, come on, a fire lieutenant gets away with overstating his hours for 4 years? that's some serious abuse of power . and let's not forget the supervisors who turned a blind eye to it, that's just as bad . it's like they were more concerned about being friends with Hill-Harris than doing their job right .

and what really gets my goat is how the fire department initially fired him but then reversed the decision after the union stepped in . it's like they're more worried about pleasing their union buddies than upholding justice . I mean, don't get me wrong, overtime fraud is a big deal and needs to be addressed, but it should be done with integrity and transparency, not just because someone has connections .

anyway, kudos to the OIG for doing some real detective work here . at least we know that someone's watching over the system .

omg I'm so frustrated this is just crazy. a fire lieutenant getting away with not even showing up to work but still getting paid?! that's just not right. and it's even worse that his supervisors were aware of the problem but didn't do anything about it because they're friends . I mean, come on, someone needs to be held accountable for this kinda thing.

and now the fire department is taking steps to prevent it from happening again, like hiring a new payroll manager and making everyone clock in and out that's a great idea! it just goes to show that when you let people get away with stuff, more and more problems will come up. I hope this lieutenant never works in the fire department again

this is just another example of how corrupt systems can be, I mean think about it, a fire lieutenant is getting away with stealing from the system for years and his supervisors are turning a blind eye... it's not like he was hiding it under a blanket it's still theft plain and simple.

And what really gets me is that it took an investigation to get him fired, which is just a slap on the wrist compared to what could have happened. I mean if this were happening in some other department, the consequences would be much harsher.

But you know what really grinds my gears? The fact that there's still room for people like Hill-Harris to take advantage of the system because their supervisors are too busy being friends and buddies rather than keeping an eye on things. It's just a matter of priorities and accountability.

And don't even get me started on the lack of transparency in the fire department's payroll system... I mean come on, you can't just hire a civilian payroll manager and expect everything to magically be okay? There's gotta be more checks and balances in place.

It's like, we're supposed to trust that our leaders are doing the right thing, but this is just another example of how that doesn't always happen. We need to make sure that we're holding people accountable for their actions, especially when it comes to something as simple (or not so simple) as payroll theft.

I mean, think about it... this whole thing with Lt. Hill-Harris just highlights how easy it is to get away with things when we're in positions of power or have connections that protect us . It's like, we're supposed to be holding ourselves and others accountable for our actions, but sometimes it feels like the system just lets people slide because they've got friends in high places . And what really gets me is how Hill-Harris was able to get away with this for so long - it's like he knew exactly how to manipulate the system to his advantage . But I guess that's a pretty common theme in our society, right? We're always looking out for #1, even if it means bending or breaking the rules .

I gotta say, this is wild . A fire lieutenant getting paid for nothing? It's like something out of a movie, you know? I mean, 150 hours of overtime over four years? That's some serious BS . And to think the supervisors just turned a blind eye, or maybe even helped him out because they were buddies... it's disgusting .

But what really gets me is that this guy was making bank as an arson investigator. I mean, can you imagine having that kind of power and responsibility, and still being able to scam the system like this? It's just not right .

I'm glad the fire department finally took action, but it's crazy that they had to go through all that drama before taking him down. And now with the new measures in place, I hope they're able to prevent something like this from happening again .

You guys need to get it together! I mean, come on, a fire lieutenant getting away with padding his paycheck for over 150 hours? That's some serious red flag waving. And to make matters worse, his supervisors were more concerned about being friends with him than doing their job right. I'm not saying they're bad people or anything, but priorities, guys! You can't just let someone get away with this kind of nonsense.

And another thing, why did it take the fire department so long to figure out that something was off? I mean, they had all these rules in place for a reason. It's not like Hill-Harris was trying to pull a fast one on them or anything. He just made some smart moves by working remotely and stuff. But you can't just make up your own rules, folks!

I'm glad the fire department is taking steps to prevent this kind of thing from happening in the future, though. They need to be more vigilant about payroll audits and make sure everyone's clocking in and out correctly. I mean, it's not that hard, right?

Anyway, kudos to the OIG for doing some good work here. It's nice to see someone holding people in power accountable. Let this be a lesson to all of you: no one is above the law, not even your buddies in the fire department