Protests cost Wichita police about $1.5 million in overtime
September 27, 2020
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A plan designed to help Wichita police monitor and control social equality protests in the city in early June cost the Wichita Police Department more than $1.5 million in overtime for officers and other employees.
The department implemented an "Emergency Mobilization Plan" from June 2 to 14 to ensure the demonstrations sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May did not escalate to violence, The Wichita Eagle reported.
Other than when officers cleared angry demonstrators from an area on June 2-3 after looting and gunshots were reported, protests in Wichita remained calm.
Wichita police employees claimed more than 30,000 in paid overtime hours and more than 5,500 hours of compensatory time during the emergency plan, the Eagle reported.
Police spokesman Officer Charley Davidson said in a statement the extra staffing helped keep demonstrations peaceful.
"Through these proactive measures and by diligently working to de-escalate potentially violent demonstrations, Wichita did not experience mass arrests of protestors or extensive property damage, which happened in many other American cities, " Davidson wrote.
The city has sought federal funding under the CARES Act to cover the overtime costs.
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