Baltimore’s police overtime tab is on track to bust the budget yet again, and this time, City Council members made it clear they are in no mood to quietly sign another check. At a Tuesday budget committee hearing, police brass acknowledged they expect to blow past their $40 million overtime allocation by roughly $13.4 million and warned they cannot close the gap without cutting services. The revelation hit as frustration was already high over vacancies and repeated requests for extra cash, with council members saying taxpayers deserve a far clearer breakdown of where those overtime dollars are going.
As reported by Fox Baltimore, Shallah Graham, the Baltimore Police Department’s chief financial officer, told council members that the department’s overtime budget sits at $40 million but is projected to overshoot that by about $13.4 million. Graham said there is no way to erase that overage without slashing services and signaled that department leaders may ultimately have to seek a supplemental appropriation to square the books.
Council pushes for accountability
“You’re telling this committee you’re going to go $13.4 million over your budget, and then you’re going to come back to this council for an additional supplemental [payment]?” Council President Zeke Cohen pressed at the hearing, according to Fox Baltimore. Cohen said residents are at a “breaking point” over service gaps and rising costs, and he pushed the department to tighten overtime controls and spell out a concrete hiring plan instead of repeatedly leaning on after-hours pay.
Staffing and structural drivers
Budget analysts have long pointed to chronic vacancies, pay rules, and weak timekeeping practices as the core drivers of ballooning overtime. CBS Baltimore has documented hundreds of unfilled city jobs that analysts say effectively pour tens of millions of dollars into overtime year after year. A city Department of Finance report has repeatedly flagged how contract provisions and manual timekeeping systems can inflate payouts even when overall hours do not climb. Those structural problems, officials argue, mean simple line-item cuts to overtime are unlikely to work without broader reforms.
Budget squeeze and next steps
Council members signaled they want the department to return with detailed overtime reports and a clear hiring timeline instead of counting on another round of emergency money. Police officials say stepped-up recruiting and future academy graduations should gradually ease the pressure, but acknowledge that current staffing gaps leave few short-term alternatives to heavy overtime use. As the city moves to finalize its budget this spring, supplemental appropriations and tougher oversight of police overtime appear poised to be central flashpoints.
For now, the numbers lay out a familiar standoff: elected leaders demanding tighter fiscal discipline, and public-safety officials warning that deep cuts to overtime could mean fewer patrols and thinner services. The next several weeks will show whether city leaders can rein in overtime through hiring and stronger controls or whether the council will ultimately sign off on more money to close the shortfall.
