FBI Reviews Facts of Nevada Sick Leave Scandal
CLARK COUNTY, Nev. --
A spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the agency was “reviewing the facts” of a report detailing overtime and sick leave abuse in the Clark County Fire Department.
The report was released at a County Commission meeting on Tuesday.
According to the county, nearly one-third of the department’s 700-plus firefighters took advantage of the sick leave policy, which drove salaries into the six-figure range for some firefighters.
"The aggregate data is very suggestive that there's a lot of sick usage going on and it might be being used for purposes other than bona fied sick leave," assistant county manager Ed Finger said.
Firefighter’s union spokesman Ryan Beaman said the abuse was not widespread and wasn’t exposed until a recent arbitration hearing that ended with a ruling in the county’s favor.
But some commissioners called for a criminal investigation.
"I've asked the (district attorney), I've asked the (attorney general) and I've asked the FBI and the sheriff's department to investigate the abuse of sick leave issues," commissioner Steve Sisolak said.
The arbitrator chose the county’s final contract offer at the hearing, saving taxpayers nearly $7.5 million annually.
County commissioners approved the contract at Tuesday’s meeting.
In a Jan. 31 letter sent to Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, Beaman called on the fire chief to address the problem with supervisors and end abuse of the current policy.
"This needs to start from the top down and it also needs to have the firefighters looking at each other," he said. "The fire chief can't look the other way when these issues are brought to him."
The union on Tuesday also released a copy of a flier titled “It’s Not Your Time” that warns firefighters not to abuse the system.
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