http://www.9news.com/story/news/loc...s-costs-boost-overtime-pay-for-cops/20276609/
DENVER- Roughly two weeks of protests about officer-involved deaths elsewhere in the country have Denver Police Department officers pulling in extra cash just before the holidays.
Denver's Department of Safety says the city has spent roughly $68,000 in overtime costs between November 24 and December 6.
The Denver Police Department says the money comes directly from a fund dedicated to unexpected costs. To put it in perspective that's about one-sixth of what the city spent in overtime pay during the Occupy Denver protests of 2011.
DPD officers took home an extra $264,000 then. Denver Sheriff's Department deputies racked up an extra $153,000.
"I think it's good to have the protests controlled I know there hasn't been any –I don't think any- serious violence involved with it yet," said Christopher Parks, a Denver resident. "So I think their presence is necessary."
"I wish it was being used in a better way -a way to help out the homeless, help out the youth, more kids," Bernard Reed said.
Data shows response times have not seen much of a change. In the category of non-emergency calls, response times rose from 18 minutes to 25 minutes over the last two weeks, compared with the same time period last year, according to the Department of Safety.