Detroit Arson Investigator's Paycheck Was Pad with Hours Not Worked, OIG Finds
An investigation by the Detroit Office of Inspector General (OIG) has uncovered a years-long scheme in which a fire lieutenant, Lt. James Hill-Harris, inflated his paychecks by submitting time sheets for hours he never worked as an arson investigator. The misconduct went unchallenged by supervisors, who failed to scrutinize Hill-Harris's overtime claims.
According to the OIG, Hill-Harris "fraudulently overstated his hours worked by more than 150 hours" using time sheets that did not match key-card activity, cellphone data, or daily logs at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters. The discrepancies date back to 2018. In some instances, investigators found Hill-Harris was at home or outside the city during hours he claimed to be on duty.
Two supervisors, Chief Dennis Richardson and Captain Rance Dixon, were also implicated in the scandal. The OIG wrote that they "abused their authority by neglecting their supervisory responsibilities," which contributed to a lack of accountability for Hill-Harris's overtime. Both men approved or allowed time submissions without the documentation required under Detroit Fire Department rules.
The investigation found that Hill-Harris claimed 622 hours of overtime in a six-month stretch between 2022 and 2023, including "43 hours of overtime in a single week." Investigators estimated he may have received more than $120,800 in income tied to hours he didn't work over a four-year span.
Hill-Harris denied committing time fraud and claimed that his father's death while fighting a deliberately set fire inspired him to become an arson investigator. However, the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) stripped Hill-Harris of his certification after an investigation found evidence of egregious misconduct.
The Detroit Fire Commissioner, Chuck Simms, initially fired Hill-Harris but reversed the decision after the fire union provided additional evidence in his favor. Hill-Harris was demoted two ranks and reinstated as a firefighter.
The OIG credited the Detroit Police Department with its thorough investigation, saying it "greatly supported" their case. The department's partnership helped identify time fraud and protect integrity in city operations, according to Inspector General Kamau C. Marable.
An investigation by the Detroit Office of Inspector General (OIG) has uncovered a years-long scheme in which a fire lieutenant, Lt. James Hill-Harris, inflated his paychecks by submitting time sheets for hours he never worked as an arson investigator. The misconduct went unchallenged by supervisors, who failed to scrutinize Hill-Harris's overtime claims.
According to the OIG, Hill-Harris "fraudulently overstated his hours worked by more than 150 hours" using time sheets that did not match key-card activity, cellphone data, or daily logs at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters. The discrepancies date back to 2018. In some instances, investigators found Hill-Harris was at home or outside the city during hours he claimed to be on duty.
Two supervisors, Chief Dennis Richardson and Captain Rance Dixon, were also implicated in the scandal. The OIG wrote that they "abused their authority by neglecting their supervisory responsibilities," which contributed to a lack of accountability for Hill-Harris's overtime. Both men approved or allowed time submissions without the documentation required under Detroit Fire Department rules.
The investigation found that Hill-Harris claimed 622 hours of overtime in a six-month stretch between 2022 and 2023, including "43 hours of overtime in a single week." Investigators estimated he may have received more than $120,800 in income tied to hours he didn't work over a four-year span.
Hill-Harris denied committing time fraud and claimed that his father's death while fighting a deliberately set fire inspired him to become an arson investigator. However, the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) stripped Hill-Harris of his certification after an investigation found evidence of egregious misconduct.
The Detroit Fire Commissioner, Chuck Simms, initially fired Hill-Harris but reversed the decision after the fire union provided additional evidence in his favor. Hill-Harris was demoted two ranks and reinstated as a firefighter.
The OIG credited the Detroit Police Department with its thorough investigation, saying it "greatly supported" their case. The department's partnership helped identify time fraud and protect integrity in city operations, according to Inspector General Kamau C. Marable.
This is just another example of how corruption can creep into even the most trusted institutions. It's not about the money, it's about accountability. Why did it take an outside investigation from the OIG to catch these guys in the act? And what's with the fire union jumping ship and trying to whitewash Hill-Harris' record 
they got scammers in the fire department too? like who does that? you would think its a small thing but 150 hours is a lotta time, and over 4 yrs too? that's just crazy money 
the fact that supervisors didnt check or care is even more messed up, it shows they not taking their job seriously at all 
. Some fire lieutenant was just cooking the books for years and no one even bothered to check? Like, what kinda supervision is that? 
The fact that two supervisors were in on it too makes me want to scream 
. It's not just about the money, it's about accountability and integrity. I mean, come on, 150+ hours of fake overtime? That's some serious hubris 
. And what really gets my goat is that Hill-Harris was able to spin this whole thing with a sob story about his dad's death 
. Not buying it, bro 
. It just goes to show how easy it can be to get away with stuff when you've got the right people looking the other way 
. And what's up with the supervisors not doing their job? They're supposed to be holding people accountable, but instead they're just along for the ride 
. It's not like Hill-Harris was some kind of mastermind or anything - he just took advantage of a system that wasn't designed to catch him out 
... anyway, glad the OIG finally did something about it and that the Detroit Police Department was able to help bring the truth to light 
and it's crazy that the supervisors were involved too, I mean you're supposed to be holding your team members accountable not enabling them 
.
! I mean, 150 hours of fake overtime? That's like saying I'm still single after 10 years of dating – yeah right! 
. They should be fired ASAP 
. I don't get why they let this guy slide for so long either 
. And honestly, it's not like he was just doing this once or twice, hundreds of hours over four years? That's some serious brazenness 
. I don't care about the backstory, if you're gonna take a job as an arson investigator, be honest about your work hours 
.
so he just submitted time sheets 4 hours he was home or outside city but still get paid like who doens dat tho?? chief & captain supervisors got implicated too they let him slide bc of his dad's passin which is sad but also like yeah u cant just abuse power like that 
.
. I get that it's a tough story, but shouldn't that have been enough to make someone accountable? Instead, he gets to keep on trucking and even gets reinstated as a firefighter 
. And kudos to the Detroit Police Department for stepping up and helping out with the investigation 
.
i mean the fire union even helped him out after he got fired 
which is like super suspicious too... 
and it's crazy that he got away with more than $120k over four years