The NYPD faces a substantial challenge with overtime expenses, surpassing $1 billion in the last fiscal year, leading to some officers earning over $300,000. Due to staffing shortages, mandatory overtime has become commonplace, significantly impacting department morale and officers' work-life balance. This situation has led individuals like former officers Mike and Angeliesse Nesterwitz to leave the department in search of better quality of life. The structure allows officers to boost their pensions by maximizing overtime just before retirement, creating disparities within the department as not all experience the financial benefits.
About 100 department employees made $300,000 or more in the 2024 fiscal year thanks to overtime payouts of as much as $200,000.
Police officials say that due to understaffing, officers are often pulled into mandatory overtime shifts, which becomes a burden on their personal lives.
For Angeliesse and Mike Nesterwitz, who both worked as officers, the overwhelming overtime hours ultimately led them to quit their jobs.
Stacking up overtime just before retiring can significantly increase officers' pensions as these are often based on their final year's earnings, including overtime.
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