BALTIMORE, Md. — Baltimore Sheriff Sam Cogen authorized a pay code adjustment that resulted in sheriff’s deputies receiving improperly calculated wages, costing the city more than $2.2 million, according to a report released Wednesday by Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming.
The investigation found that Cogen directed employees to use a “city detail overtime” code in the city’s payroll system to boost their pay, effectively increasing salaries by $31,200 annually per deputy, the Baltimore Banner reported. However, the pay code was misconfigured, leading to deputies being paid triple their standard daily wage. Cogen told investigators he was unaware of the misconfiguration.
The payments, which have not been returned to the city, were made to 94 deputies. Cogen defended the move, calling it a “stopgap” to address staffing shortages and recruitment issues while awaiting salary negotiations with city officials, according to the report.
Dispute over pay increase
Cogen initially sought approval from Mayor Brandon Scott in 2023 to reallocate $2 million within the sheriff’s budget for salary increases. Scott denied the request, stating the city would not consider additional pay raises outside of labor negotiations and noting that deputies were already set to receive cost-of-living increases through 2025, according to the report.
Despite the mayor’s stance, Cogen instructed his staff in November 2023 to begin using the overtime code. The payments continued until February 2024, when officials from both the city’s finance department and the sheriff’s office flagged the issue and deactivated the code, according to the report.
Union responds
The local Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) chapter representing sheriff’s deputies is now seeking arbitration, arguing that the order was legal and that deputies were following a directive. FOP attorneys claim that deputies had no choice but to comply with the sheriff’s instructions.
“It felt like the deputies were in the middle of a fight between City Hall and the sheriff,” said retired deputy Shauna Carroll, president of the FOP lodge.
The sheriff’s office ended fiscal year 2024 with a reported $4.5 million budget deficit. The arbitration process will determine whether deputies will be required to repay the excess wages, according to the report.
