Detroit Fire Official's Overtime Scandal Exposed: A Culture of Lack of Accountability
A shocking investigation by the city's Office of Inspector General has found that a Detroit fire lieutenant, James Hill-Harris, illegally padded his paycheck for years by submitting false time sheets. The OIG report reveals that Hill-Harris fraudulently overstated his hours worked by more than 150 hours, relying on time sheets that didn't match key-card activity, cellphone data, or daily activity logs at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters.
The discrepancies date back as far as 2018 and were so severe that investigators found Hill-Harris was often at home or outside of the city during hours he claimed to be on duty. The investigation also revealed that two supervisors - Chief Dennis Richardson and Captain Rance Dixon - failed to perform basic oversight, which contributed to a lack of accountability for Hill-Harris's overtime.
The OIG report states that both men approved or allowed time submissions without the documentation required under Detroit Fire Department rules. Richardson disputed showing favoritism but acknowledged in a recorded hearing that he did "a little digging" and found widespread noncompliance among unit members, including captains and lieutenants.
Despite his supervisor's lack of oversight, Hill-Harris was able to continue his scheme for years, claiming over 622 hours of overtime between 2022 and 2023. Investigators estimated that he may have received more than $120,800 in income tied to hours he didn't work over a four-year span.
In June 2023, the OIG referred the investigation to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, which declined to pursue criminal charges due to insufficient evidence. However, the Detroit Police Department did strip Hill-Harris of his law-enforcement certification, and on June 4, 2025, the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards permanently revoked it for "egregious misconduct involving his lack of accountability."
The investigation also found that Hill-Harris's father died fighting a deliberately set fire in 2008, which inspired him to become an arson investigator in 2011. However, Hill-Harris denied committing time fraud and claimed that the practices he engaged in were common within the unit.
In response to the allegations, Detroit Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms took steps to prevent overtime fraud, including hiring a full-time civilian payroll manager and mandating that employees physically clock in and out. The fire department now requires prior approval for overtime and conducts biweekly audits to detect any payroll discrepancies.
The investigation was welcomed by Inspector General Kamau C. Marable, who praised the work of the Detroit Police Department. "We appreciate the thorough work of DPD, whose investigation greatly supported the OIG in completing our case," he said. "Their partnership was instrumental in helping us identify time fraud and protect integrity in City operations."
A shocking investigation by the city's Office of Inspector General has found that a Detroit fire lieutenant, James Hill-Harris, illegally padded his paycheck for years by submitting false time sheets. The OIG report reveals that Hill-Harris fraudulently overstated his hours worked by more than 150 hours, relying on time sheets that didn't match key-card activity, cellphone data, or daily activity logs at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters.
The discrepancies date back as far as 2018 and were so severe that investigators found Hill-Harris was often at home or outside of the city during hours he claimed to be on duty. The investigation also revealed that two supervisors - Chief Dennis Richardson and Captain Rance Dixon - failed to perform basic oversight, which contributed to a lack of accountability for Hill-Harris's overtime.
The OIG report states that both men approved or allowed time submissions without the documentation required under Detroit Fire Department rules. Richardson disputed showing favoritism but acknowledged in a recorded hearing that he did "a little digging" and found widespread noncompliance among unit members, including captains and lieutenants.
Despite his supervisor's lack of oversight, Hill-Harris was able to continue his scheme for years, claiming over 622 hours of overtime between 2022 and 2023. Investigators estimated that he may have received more than $120,800 in income tied to hours he didn't work over a four-year span.
In June 2023, the OIG referred the investigation to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, which declined to pursue criminal charges due to insufficient evidence. However, the Detroit Police Department did strip Hill-Harris of his law-enforcement certification, and on June 4, 2025, the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards permanently revoked it for "egregious misconduct involving his lack of accountability."
The investigation also found that Hill-Harris's father died fighting a deliberately set fire in 2008, which inspired him to become an arson investigator in 2011. However, Hill-Harris denied committing time fraud and claimed that the practices he engaged in were common within the unit.
In response to the allegations, Detroit Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms took steps to prevent overtime fraud, including hiring a full-time civilian payroll manager and mandating that employees physically clock in and out. The fire department now requires prior approval for overtime and conducts biweekly audits to detect any payroll discrepancies.
The investigation was welcomed by Inspector General Kamau C. Marable, who praised the work of the Detroit Police Department. "We appreciate the thorough work of DPD, whose investigation greatly supported the OIG in completing our case," he said. "Their partnership was instrumental in helping us identify time fraud and protect integrity in City operations."
This whole thing is just a major red flag for accountability in public service 
. I mean, think about it - a fire lieutenant just casually padding his paycheck by hundreds of hours without anyone batting an eye? It's not like he was doing some top-secret operation under the radar... he was literally falsifying time sheets and claiming to be on duty when he wasn't 
.
It's like they were too caught up in letting people slack off to actually do their jobs properly.
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and to think, the guy's dad even died in a fire... but that doesn't excuse his actions.
we need to hold our public officials accountable for their actions! 
. Like, how do you even manage to pull off something like this without getting caught? It's crazy to think that two supervisors just let it slide because they "found" widespread noncompliance among unit members 
.
622 hours of overtime gone down the drain! That's a whoppin' $120k over 4 years! 
The Detroit Fire Department is now taking steps to prevent this kind of thing from happening again - they've got a new payroll manager and are makin' employees clock in and out. That's a total of $8.5 billion cut from overtime pay since 2010, btw! 
According to the OIG report, only 1% of Detroit firefighters caught for time fraud between 2012-2022, but that number is expected to drop with these new measures in place. 
It's all about accountability, folks!
Time will tell if these new measures take root and prevent future cases of time fraud!