Overview
- The Detroit Office of Inspector General reported that Lt. James Hill-Harris overstated more than 150 hours of work, with discrepancies reaching back to 2018 and concentrated between November 2022 and April 2023.
- Detroit Police Internal Affairs cited cellphone data, key-card entries, electronic activity logs, and payroll records indicating Hill-Harris was often at home or outside Detroit during hours he reported working.
- The report recommends discipline for Hill-Harris, Chief Dennis Richardson, and Captain Rance Dixon, finding the supervisors neglected required oversight and approved time submissions without proper documentation.
- The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office declined criminal charges for lack of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, while MCOLES permanently revoked Hill-Harris’s law-enforcement certification on June 4, 2025.
- Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms says a termination was reversed after a union appeal, Hill-Harris was demoted and reassigned to fire operations, and the department instituted payroll safeguards including a civilian payroll manager, prior overtime approvals, biweekly audits, and physical clocking.