MOBILE, Ala. (NBC 15) — Mobile County is still assessing the financial impact of taking over law enforcement services in Prichard. The sheriff’s office assumed control of calls and the department’s evidence room last month after former officer Emanuel Dotch was arrested on federal corruption charges. While some of the expenses are expected to be reimbursed, Sheriff Paul Burch says the effort is costing taxpayers nearly $6,000 a day in overtime – one-third of what it cost when the operation began.
“Our initial cost was averaging about $18,000 a day,” said Burch. “We’ve done a couple of things to try to reduce the cost of overtime. You know, we pulled from some other areas within the agency, which puts a strain on, you know, our response time and such, but we were able to create a squad just for Prichard.”
In addition to cataloging thousands of pieces of evidence at the Prichard Police Department, deputies guard it around the clock to keep it secure. Burch says it’s costing $4,200 a day in overtime for evidence collection and security. Burch says expenses tied to the evidence room will be reimbursed through the federal government, and the department is also looking for ways to help cover the cost of answering calls and patrolling Prichard, which adds up to nearly $1,500 per day…