By Paul Liotta
Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Overtime pay for cops suspected of wrongdoing will be put under review, police said Tuesday.
Chief of Department James O’Neil ordered the review of officers on modified duty after revelations that Officer Daniel Pantaleo earned nearly $40,000 in overtime over the past two years.
A Staten Island Grand Jury chose not to indict Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner, 43, of Port Richmond, who died after officers attempted to arrest him for allegedly selling loose, untaxed cigarettes on Bay Street near Victory Boulevard.
“When the review is complete, the department will implement any necessary changes,” a spokesman for the NYPD said in a statement.
O’Neil, who becomes Commissioner of the NYPD on Friday, is not expected to eliminate overtime for those on modified duty, according to a report from the New York Daily News.
A spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said the mayor spoke with the incoming commissioner about the review.
“Mayor de Blasio supports incoming Commissioner O’Neill’s ordered review. These overtime payments raise real concerns,” spokesman Austin Finan said. “And the mayor agrees this practice deserves a close examination.”