NOPD Overtime Fraud Investigation, New Payroll Policies Implemented After Officers Found at Home on the Clock

Prepared by the AllAboutLawyer.com Editorial Team and reviewed for factual accuracy against the New Orleans Office of Inspector General public letters dated January 15, 2026 and April 29, 2026, and reporting from Fox 8 (WVUE), WWL Louisiana, and the Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate. Last Updated: May 8, 2026

The New Orleans Police Department is facing its most serious payroll accountability crisis in years. An urgent letter dated April 29, 2026 from City Inspector General Ed Michel to NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick found widespread breakdowns in timekeeping and overtime controls, allowing overtime costs to more than double in three years and exposing the city to significant financial and compliance risks. Officers were caught clocking hours from home, entering time in bulk blocks, and sharing supervisor login credentials — and the department now faces ongoing investigations, criminal charges, and a wave of new policies designed to stop the bleeding.

NOPD Payroll Investigation — Quick Facts

Field	Detail
Investigation Opened	Ongoing since mid-2025; public reports issued January 15, 2026 and April 29, 2026
Defendant / Subject	New Orleans Police Department; City of New Orleans
Alleged Violations	Public payroll fraud, injuring public records, timekeeping abuse — Louisiana state law
Who Is Affected	New Orleans taxpayers; current and former NOPD officers
NOPD Overtime Cost	Rose from $13.1 million (2022) to $26.8 million (2025)
Current Court Stage	Criminal charges filed against individual officers; Inspector General investigation ongoing
Court & Jurisdiction	Criminal cases: Orleans Parish; Inspector General oversight: City of New Orleans OIG
Lead Investigative Body	New Orleans Office of Inspector General (Ed Michel)
Next Hearing Date	TBD — criminal trial pending for Sgt. Henry Burke
Official OIG Site	nolaoig.gov
Last Updated	May 8, 2026

What Is the NOPD Payroll and Overtime Investigation About?

For years, New Orleans Police Department officers and supervisors exploited weak oversight systems to inflate their paychecks well beyond what they actually worked. The problems were hiding in plain sight on the city’s payroll records — but nobody in leadership looked closely enough to stop them.

In November 2022, a temporary overtime expansion raised the weekly cap from 24 to 56 hours of overtime and secondary employment per week. It was meant to run for three months. Instead, it was repeatedly extended by special order, never written into the operations manual, and remained in effect for years — significantly impacting overtime spending. Combined with a regular 40-hour schedule, the expanded cap allowed officers to work up to 96 hours per week. Some did, day after day, for years on end.

The Inspector General found NOPD supervisors routinely approved overtime beyond official limits, allowed officers to enter overtime in block chunks instead of actual minutes worked, shared payroll login credentials, and authorized work-from-home arrangements that violated city policy. In some cases, OIG investigators determined NOPD officers were not even in Louisiana while reporting to be on duty. That is not a technicality — it is public employees collecting taxpayer money for work they were not performing.

At least 50 NOPD officers were paid more than $200,000 in 2025. This case connects directly to broader questions about employment class action accountability in government institutions — a pattern that has emerged in police departments across the country. For context on how unpaid wages and timekeeping disputes have played out in other law enforcement contexts, our Micah Washington federal civil rights lawsuit coverage shows how police accountability cases develop in federal court.

Related article: Marriott Hotels Toxic Fragrance Class Action Lawsuit, Were You or an Employee Harmed by Hotel Scent Systems?

Who Got Caught and What Happened to Them?

This is not an abstract accounting problem. Specific officers were caught on camera, suspended, fired, and charged with felonies.

Sgt. Henry Burke was one of NOPD’s highest-paid employees in 2024. Burke collected $245,903 in total pay that year — including $121,460 in overtime alone — despite a base salary of just over $83,000. Fox 8 undercover cameras caught him at home while his timesheet showed him on the clock. Burke now awaits trial on four counts of public payroll fraud and six counts of injuring public records, and remains on unpaid suspension.

Sr. Officer Brandon Coleman was similarly documented at home during claimed 16-hour shifts. Coleman’s base salary was just over $64,000 in 2024, but with overtime and other pay he collected more than $217,000. He claimed to have worked 16 hours or more on 146 different days that year.

Sgts. Bianca Boone and Rene Benjamin came under internal investigation after Fox 8 cameras captured them at home while their timesheets showed them clocked in during March 2026. Benjamin logged more than 600 shifts across 363 days in 2025, often working two or more shifts a day, bringing home more than $211,000. Boone nearly tripled her $83,000 base salary, logging more than 4,200 hours on her timesheets — an average of 11.5 hours every single day of the year. Both were restricted from working overtime pending investigation.

Former officer Jeffrey Vappie was also indicted on charges including wire fraud in connection with approximately $7,000 in allegedly falsified payroll records submitted during his time spent with former Mayor LaToya Cantrell as her bodyguard.

Are You Affected by the NOPD Payroll Scandal?

If you live in New Orleans, the answer is yes — even if you have never had any dealings with the police department directly.

You are directly affected as a taxpayer if:

• You pay city taxes in New Orleans — approximately $50 million of the city’s $160 million 2025 budget shortfall was tied to NOPD overtime that the city failed to fund. That shortfall contributed to a city that needed emergency bond financing to stay solvent
• The city budgeted just $57,500 for employee overtime in 2025 — a fraction of the more than $47 million spent on overtime citywide that year
• You received reduced city services as a result of furloughs and budget cuts that followed the shortfall

You may be affected as a current or former NOPD officer if:

• Your supervisor shared login credentials and entered your time for you — the OIG investigation may reach beyond named officers to supervisors who enabled the system
• You reported timekeeping irregularities and faced retaliation — prior lawsuits have alleged exactly this pattern within NOPD
• You worked overtime hours that were not properly paid or documented under the department’s policies

If you are a current or former NOPD employee who believes you were underpaid for legitimate overtime work or faced retaliation for raising concerns, consult an employment discrimination attorney to understand your options under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Louisiana employment law.

What New Policies Has NOPD Put in Place?

The reforms are real — but investigators say they do not go far enough yet.

The department has implemented biometric time clocks and a centralized system to track off-duty work and prevent “double-dipping” by logging on-duty and paid detail hours simultaneously. NOPD is also working with ADP, its payroll company, to review and reset current access permissions, tighten system controls, and ensure user access better aligns with policy and operational needs.

Reforms implemented since July 2025 include hard limits on overtime, updated payroll and timekeeping policies, and new rules prohibiting supervisors from using overtime to cover staffing shortages caused by improper scheduling.

But the Inspector General found serious gaps remain. Superintendent Kirkpatrick acknowledged that biometric time clocks are not required for regular shifts — only for scheduled overtime assignments. That gap is exactly what allowed Boone and Benjamin to clock in from home during standard shifts. Inspector General Michel urged NOPD leadership to re-evaluate overtime limits, update written policies to match any expanded hours, force all officers to record their own time in ADP, ban the sharing of login credentials, and bring any remote-work practices into line with the citywide telework policy.

What Should New Orleans Residents and NOPD Officers Do Right Now?

There is no class action claim form and no settlement fund. This is an active government investigation. Here is what is relevant to you:

• New Orleans taxpayers should monitor updates from the OIG directly at nolaoig.gov — the Inspector General has committed to making findings public as the investigation continues, not just at its conclusion
• NOPD officers who were legitimately underpaid for overtime they actually worked should consult a consumer rights lawyer or an FLSA attorney — the city’s failure to budget and properly administer overtime may have cut both ways, harming officers who did the work as well as the city
• Officers facing internal investigations tied to timekeeping should seek independent legal counsel immediately — criminal charges have already been filed against some officers and more are anticipated
• Metropolitan Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche said he expects more repercussions as the Inspector General’s investigation continues, including additional criminal charges against officers
• Watch the ADP payroll system reforms — if the city does not lock down credential sharing and biometric requirements for all shifts, the Inspector General has signaled it will continue to report violations publicly

NOPD Payroll Investigation Timeline

Milestone	Date
Overtime cap raised from 24 to 56 hrs/week	November 2022
Fox 8 undercover investigation begins	November 2025
Burke and Coleman caught at home on camera	November 2025
NOPD implements biometric clocks for overtime shifts	November–December 2025
City confirms 2025 budget shortfall of $160 million	Late 2025
OIG First Public Letter — Overtime Mismanagement	January 15, 2026
Sgt. Henry Burke arrested — 10 felony counts	Early 2026
Boone and Benjamin caught at home during regular shifts	March 2026
OIG Second Public Letter — Payroll Fraud Risk Warning	April 29, 2026
NOPD announces expanded biometric controls for all shifts	May 2026
Burke criminal trial	TBD — pending in Orleans Parish
OIG Final Investigation Report	TBD — ongoing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a class action lawsuit against NOPD over payroll fraud? 

Not currently as a consumer class action. The active legal matters involve individual criminal prosecutions of officers and an ongoing OIG investigation. A prior FLSA lawsuit — filed by FOP member George Brown in 2012 — did settle claims that the city failed to include special pay rates in overtime calculations. New individual or class claims remain possible as the investigation concludes.

Is there a lawsuit against NOPD?

 Yes, in the sense that criminal charges have been filed against individual officers including Sgt. Henry Burke, who awaits trial on four counts of public payroll fraud and six counts of injuring public records. The OIG investigation itself is a formal oversight proceeding. No single civil class action has been filed against the city by officers or taxpayers as of May 2026.

When will a settlement be reached in the NOPD overtime case? 

TBD — this is a criminal and administrative matter, not a civil settlement. Burke’s criminal trial has not yet been scheduled. The OIG investigation remains open and additional findings are expected. Monitor nolaoig.gov for updates.

Can I file my own lawsuit against NOPD if I was underpaid for overtime? 

Yes. Current and former NOPD officers who believe they were denied lawful overtime compensation may have claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The statute of limitations for FLSA claims is generally two to three years from the violation. Consult an unpaid wages lawsuit attorney to evaluate your specific situation before that window closes.

How will I know if the NOPD payroll investigation leads to a settlement or charges?

 Follow the New Orleans Office of Inspector General at nolaoig.gov. The Times-Picayune / New Orleans Advocate and Fox 8 (WVUE) are the most reliable local sources tracking this story in real time.

Did this affect New Orleans city services?

Yes. Approximately $50 million of the city’s $160 million 2025 budget shortfall was tied to NOPD overtime the city failed to fund, contributing to furloughs and a $125 million emergency bond loan secured by Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration.

Sources & References

• New Orleans Office of Inspector General — OIG Public Letter to NOPD Superintendent Kirkpatrick (April 29, 2026): nolaoig.gov
• New Orleans Office of Inspector General — OIG Review of NOPD Overtime Policies, Procedures and Practices (January 15, 2026): nolaoig.gov

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Legal claims and outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable law. For advice regarding a particular situation, consult a qualified attorney.