Authorizing the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings regarding the billing and collection process for the Police Department's Reimbursable Overtime Program, under which off-duty uniformed officers provide private security services for merchants, nightclub owners and other private entities, and authorizing the Chairperson of the Committee, in furtherance of such investigation, to issue subpoenas, or other process, as the Chairperson deems necessary or appropriate to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents to the full extent authorized under Section 2-401 of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter.

WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Police Department’s Reimbursable Overtime Program authorizes off-duty uniformed police officers to be hired to provide private security services for merchants, nightclub owners and other private entities; and

WHEREAS, Since 1997, the Philadelphia City Controller’s Office, in its annual Philadelphia Police Department Auditor’s Reports, has identified a lack of controls over the billing and collection process associated with the Reimbursable Overtime Program. Specifically, the City Controller’s Office has found that the Police Department often underbilled or failed to bill for services relating to off-duty uniformed officers providing private security services for merchants, nightclub owners and other private entities; and

WHEREAS, Several deficiencies were identified in the program, including the failure to compensate officers in accordance with labor contract provisions; neglecting to clarify officers’ responsibilities under the program; misunderstandings about the scope of police response to incidents; failing to substantiate the basis for rates used in customer billings; leniency in the collection policy which allowed certain slow-paying customers to continue receiving services, and otherwise inadequately addressing the issue of delinquent account balances; and failure of the Police Department to identify overhead costs associated with the Reimbursable Overtime Program, as well as failure to estimate the number of hours devoted to the service being rendered; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, that we hereby authorize the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings regarding the billing and collection process for the Police Department’s Reimbursable Overtime Program, under which off-duty uniformed officers provide private security services for merchants, nightclub owners and other private entities, and authorizing the Chairperson of the Committee, in furtherance of such investigation, to issue subpoenas, or other process, as the Chairperson deems necessary or appropriate to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents to the full extent authorized under Section 2-401 of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter.

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