Probe finds Chicago police overtime not closely monitored

CHICAGO (AP) - An investigation shows that the Chicago Police Department has failed to closely monitor the way it handles officer overtime.

In a report released Tuesday, the office of Inspector General Joseph Ferguson says that the lack of oversight has left the department vulnerable to "potentially abusive practices" as they accrue overtime.

The office says the department - which relies heavily on overtime in recent years to stem the surging gun violence in the city - has paid out millions of dollars to officers whose overtime was not properly approved or to officers who even approved their own overtime payments.

The department has spent more than a half-billion dollars in the last six years on overtime and the report also raises concerns that the overtime has left officers fatigued.