NOW: COURT CRISIS.
THE TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS HAVE
LEARNED A LARGE
NUMBER OF RHODE
ISLAND SHERIFFS ARE
OUT INJURED --
COLLECTING FULL PAY,
TAX FREE.
David Decesare, Chief Sheriff of
RI
Every single day we start 20
people
short. And it's hard. 4:00
(MM)
WE FOUND SEVERAL
INJURY CASES THAT HAVE
DRAGGED ON FOR
YEARS.
AND THE SHORTAGE IS
HAVING---- A DRAMATIC
IMPACT ON THE COURTS.
(HE)
IT'S CAUSING DELAYS IN
HEARINGS AND TRIALS.
AND IT'S COSTING YOU
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
EVERY YEAR.
TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR
TIM WHITE IS HERE NOW
WITH WHAT HE'S
UNCOVERED.
THE MAJORITY OF SHERIFFS
ARE HARDWORKING PUBLIC
SAFETY PROFESSIONALS.
BUT WE'VE UNCOVERED IS A
MAJOR LOOPHOLE THAT IS
UNIQUE TO THE SHERIFF'S
DEPARTMENT...
AND ALLOWS SOME TO STAY
OUT INJURED FOR YEARS.
THERE ARE 179 RHODE ISLAND
SHERIFFS -- WORKING
PRIMARILY IN THE STATE COURT
SYSTEM.
IN SEPTEMBER, TARGET 12
REQESTED DATA ON HOW MANY
WERE OUT INJURED.
AND WE FOUND 23 SHERIFFS
ARE ON INJURED ON DUTY
STATUS, OR I-O-D.
THATS 12 PERCENT OF THEIR
WORKFORCE.
RECORDS SHOW,
SOME HAVE BEEN COLLECTING
THEIR FULL SALARY TAX-FREE
FOR YEARS
TAKE THESE SIX, FOR EXAMPLE
AT THE TIME OF OUR REQUEST,
ONE DEPUTY SHERIFF HAS
BEEN OUT FOR FOUR YEARS 10
MONTHS.
A CAPTAIN FOR FIVE YEARS
TWO DEPUTY SHERIFFS FOR
MORE THAN EIGHT YEARS
ANOTHER FOR NINE YEARS AND
FIVE MONTHS
AND ONE DEPUTY SHERIFF HAS
BEEN ON I-O-D FOR A
STAGGERING 11 YEARS AND
NINE MONTHS.
PAYROLL RECORDS REVIEWED
BY TARGET 12 SHOW,
THAT SHERIFF HAS EARNED
MORE THAN A HALF MILLION
DOLLARS IN I-O-D PAY.
White: What is going on at the
sheriffs department?
DECESARE: true. I agree. That
number's pretty high
CHIEF SHERIFF DAVID
DECESARE INHERITED THE
CRISIS WHEN HE TOOK THE
JOB.
tim there's five people in this
organization I have never met in
my
5 and a half year tenure. That's
a
problem.
The department of public safety
refused to provide the names of
the
sheriff's out injured.
But using payroll data, target
12
estimates nearly 4 million
dollars in
iod pay has been handed out to
those 23 sheriffs so far.
THIS IS DEPARTMENT OF
ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR
MICHAEL DIBIASE TELLING THE
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
WHAT THE ANNUAL COST IS
TO TAXPAYERS:
1.7 million a year plus overtime
costs of 732 thousand
COMPARING I-O-D NUMBERS TO
THE STATE POLICE, ONLY 3 OF
THEIR 226 MEMBER FORCE IS
OUT INJURED.
DECESARE SAYS THE NUMBER
OF SHERIFF'S ON I-O-D IS
MAKING IT HARD ON THE
MAJORITY OF SHERIFFS WHO
SHOW UP EVERYDAY.
Many times our members are
legitimately and severly injured
in
the course of their duties.
THE UNION REPRESENTING THE
SHERIFF'S REFUSED TO GO ON
CAMERA WITH TARGET 12.
BUT JAMES CENERINI WITH
LABOR UNION COUNCIL 94 TOLD
THE HOUSE FINANCE
COMMITTEE IN MARCH THEY
AGREE THERE'S A PROBLEM
BUT DISAGREE WITH THE
SOLUTION.
The probem forum to do this was
through a negotiated change and
to
make sure actual workers who are
actually hurt, their rights are
protected.
DECESARE TELLS ME THE 23
SHERIFFS ON IOD IN
SEPTEMBER ARE NOW DOWN
TO 21.
BECAUSE TWO HAVE BEEN
TERMINATED.
HE SAID THEY ARE ACTIVE
PERSONNEL CASES AND
COULDN'T PROVIDE DETAILS ON
THEIR FIRING.
WITH THE TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS TIM WHITE
EYEWITNESS NEWS.
Live in Warren I'm EH, EWN.
(HE)
NEW DETAILS IN A TARGET
12 INVESTIGATORS'
EXCLUSIVE: COURT
CRISIS.
AT FIVE, WE UNCOVERED
A LOOPHOLE IN STATE
POLICY THAT'S ALLOWING
A LARGE NUMBER OF
RHODE ISLAND SHERIFFS
TO REMAIN OUT OF WORK
FOR YEARS...
COLLECTING FULL PAY,
TAX-FREE.
(MM)
THE SHORTAGE OF
DEPUTY SHERIFFS IS
HAVING A DRAMATIC
IMPACT ON THE COURTS -
CAUSING DELAYS AND
SAFETY CONCERNS.
(HE)
NEW AT 6: WE REVEAL A
PROPOSED FIX -- WAS
SHOT DOWN BY
LAWMAKERS EARLIER
THIS YEAR.
TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR
TIM WHITE HAS THE
DETAILS.
THE PROBLEM IS SO BAD, IT IS
COSTING TAXPAYERS MORE
THAN 2 MILLION DOLLARS A
YEAR TO PAY THEIR SALARY,
AND FILL THEIR SHIFTS WITH
OVERTIME.
A TARGET 12 REVIEW OF PUBLIC
RECORDS FOUND IN
SEPTEMBER,
23 OF 179 SHERIFFS ARE OUT
ON INJURED ON DUTY STATUS,
OR I-O-D.
STATE LAWYERS REJECTED
OUR REQUEST FOR THE NAMES
OF THOSE SHERIFFS,
BUT DATA SHOWS SOME HAVE
BEEN OUT FOR YEARS
COLLECTING THEIR FULL PAY
TAX FREE.
STATE OFFICIALS SAY THOSE 23
SHERIFFS HAVE COLLECTED
MORE THAN FOUR MILLION
DOLLARS IN I-O-D PAY.
What is going on at the sheriffs
department?
true. I agree. That number's
pretty
high
CHIEF SHERIFF DAVID
DECESARE INHERITED THE
CRISIS WHEN HE TOOK THE JOB
NEARLY SIX YEARS AGO.
HE SAYS THERE ARE FIVE
SHERIFFS THAT HAVE BEEN
OUT SO LONG, HE'S NEVER MET
THEM .
AND THE SHORTAGE IS PUTTING
THOSE THAT DO SHOW UP
EVERY DAY AT RISK.
my focus is on the 150 or
deputies
that come to work every day. Who
have to work a lot harder being
down that number of deputy
sheriffs.
the problem is complicated....
but in short:
most other public safety
professionals on injured status
have
essentially 18 months,
then they must apply for an
accidental disability pension.
the sheriffs have two bites of
the
apple so to speak.
UNLIKE OTHERS... AFTER 18
MONTHS, A SHERIFF'S INJURY
CASE GET KICKED OVER TO
THE STATE WORKER'S COMP
OFFICE WHERE THEIR CASE
CAN LINGER FOR FIVE YEARS,
OR LONGER IF THE WORKER
APPEALS A DECISION.
GOVERNOR GINA RAIMONDO
PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE
BUDGET EARLIER THIS YEAR TO
GET SHERIFFS IN LINE WITH
OTHER PUBLIC SAFETY
AGENCIES....
INLCUDING REQUIRING AN
INDEPENDENT MEDICAL
EVALUATION, NOT THE
SHERIFF'S PERSONAL
PHYSICIAN TO ASSESS THE
INJURY.
LAWMAKERS REJECTED IT.
We disagree with the solution.
THE UNION REPRESENTING
DEPUTY SHERIFFS NEVER
RESPONDED TO OUR
REPEATED REQUEST FOR AN
INTERVIEW.
BUT EARLIER THIS YEAR AT A
HOUSE FINANCE HEARING,
JAMES CENERINI OF COUNCIL
94 TOLD LAWMAKERS ANY
CHANGES SHOULD BE
NEGOTIATED.
THE PRESIDING JUSTICE OF
THE SUPERIOR COURT TELLS
TARGET 12,
THE SHERIFF SHORTAGE IS THE
WORST SHE HAS EVER SEEN IT.
We start every day in the hole.
We're closing courtrooms on a
staggered basis because judges
can't get on the bench because
they
don't have security.
IN A STATMENT A
SPOKESPERSON FOR
GOVERNOR GINA RAIMONDO
SAYS:
The Governor has previously
proposed reforms that would
prevent the misuse of the IOD
system. Next year she plans to
once
again introduce legislative
reforms
WE'LL KEEP TRACK OF THAT
AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT
HAPPENS.
WITH THE TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS TIM WHITE
EYEWITNESS NEWS.