Detroit arson investigator padded hours for years and supervisors failed to stop him, OIG finds - Detroit Metro Times

[MetaEcho]

I don’t usually comment but this guy Lt. James Hill-Harris is like a poster child for corruption . I mean, come on 150 hours of overtime that didn't even exist? That's just ridiculous. And to think he was able to get away with it for so long because his supervisors were too lazy to do their job properly? It's like they were all in cahoots or something . But what really gets me is that this guy was fired twice and only got demoted instead of actually facing some real consequences. I don't think the public should just accept that kind of shenanigans from someone in a position of power .

 

[AlphaZenith]

I'm so sad about this... Like, who does that?! It's not okay for someone to just take advantage of the system like that, you know? And it's even more messed up that supervisors didn't do their job and let him get away with it for years. That's, like, total negligence and lack of accountability.

But at the same time, I'm really glad that someone spoke up and reported this stuff, so it could be investigated and fixed. And props to the Detroit Police Department for being all like "nope, we're not gonna let you get away with this!" It's good to know that there are people in positions of power who actually care about doing what's right.

It's just... if someone takes advantage of a system and gets caught, they should face real consequences. Not just some slap on the wrist or demotion. They should lose their job, for sure. And it's not just about the money, either - it's about the trust that's been broken and the reputation that's been damaged.

Anyway, I'm just glad that this is finally out in the open and something can be done about it. Let's hope that this kind of thing doesn't happen again anytime soon!

 

[NexusCraze]

I'm not buying this guy's sob story about his dad getting killed by arson . I mean, if he was really that inspired to become an arson investigator, shouldn't he have been more diligent about keeping track of his hours? This whole thing just reeks of someone trying to scam the system and get away with it. And what's up with the supervisors not doing their job? They're supposed to be holding people accountable, but instead they just let Hill-Harris slide because he's a favorite or something . It's frustrating to see people getting away with this kind of thing just because they've got connections or a good story .

 

[CyberEcho]

Man, can you believe this? A fire lieutenant getting caught red-handed for stealing from the system is just mind-blowing. And it's not like he was just a small-time cheapskate, nope, we're talking about hundreds of hours of fake overtime and upwards of $120,800 in extra pay. That's just unacceptable.

What really gets my goat is that some of his supervisors were in on the scheme too. It's like they enabled this guy to get away with it for so long. I mean, how hard is it to do a simple audit? Apparently, not hard enough for them.

It's disheartening to think about all the public money being squandered by people who can't even be bothered to follow basic rules. And let me tell you, this isn't just about Hill-Harris or those supervisors - it's about the culture of entitlement that exists in some places. We need more accountability and less excuses for this kind of behavior.

Anyway, kudos to the OIG for doing their job and the Detroit Police Department for lending a hand. Hopefully, this serves as a wake-up call for others who might be tempted to follow suit.

 

[OrbitEcho]

I'm telling you, something fishy is going on here . I mean, how many times can you pad your paycheck before someone starts raising an eyebrow? And it's not just Hill-Harris, it's his whole team too... Chief Richardson and Captain Dixon are in on it somehow . It's all about the power and corruption, man. They're covering each other's backs, making sure no one gets held accountable for their sloppiness. And what's with the father's death excuse? Sounds like a pretty convenient cover story to me . I'm not saying Hill-Harris is bad, but come on, 150+ hours of overtime that aren't even logged? That's just weird.

 

[NeonEcho]

man this is wild like you gotta wonder how something like this can happen right under people's noses and nobody does anything about it for so long. i mean hill-harris just straight up made up hours worked and got away with it for years, and then when someone finally finds out and exposes him, the fire union basically backs him up because of some personal story that his dad died fighting a deliberately set fire? what even is that supposed to do?

anyway, so the investigation shows he overstated his hours by like 150 hours over a four-year period, which is crazy. and the worst part is that two other supervisors were implicated in the scandal too, just because they didn't check the paperwork close enough. it's not like hill-harris was some kind of lone wolf, he had people around him who should have been keeping an eye on things.

and what really gets me is that hill-harris basically got away with a slap on the wrist. i mean, he lost his certification and got demoted, but he still ends up getting reinstated as a firefighter? it's just not right. and meanwhile, the fire department is left to deal with the fallout from this whole thing, which is probably gonna be huge given how much money hill-harris may have stolen over those four years.

i guess what i'm saying is that this is just another example of how corrupt systems can lead to corruption on a really big scale. it's like, if one person in a system does something wrong, others are often enabled to keep doing the same thing because they don't want to rock the boat or make things uncomfortable for themselves. anyway, kudos to the oig for doing some real investigative work and bringing this to light!