NYPD’s highest-earning cop with overtime-fueled $400K salary has retired following investigation into allegations of falsified overtime slips

12/19/2024 / By Arsenio Toledo

The NYPD’s highest-paid employee raked in over $200,000 in overtime pay in FY 2024, accounting for over half of her total earnings.
Lt. Quathisha Epps has an administrative role in the office of NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey. She claimed 1,626 overtime hours, averaging 74 hours per week, raising concerns over possibly falsified timeslips and irregular work attendance.
Following the opening of an Internal Affairs investigation, Epps filed for a “vested separation retirement,” with her last day being on Jan. 14, 2025.
Epps could retire with a pension of up to $232,000 annually based on whether she qualifies for a disability pension as a cancer survivor.
The case against Epps’ potentially fraudulent overtime pay has highlighted concerns about how many of the top overtime earners hold administrative roles and do not go on patrol.

New York Police Department Lt. Quathisha Epps, the department’s highest-paid employee in fiscal year 2024, has filed for retirement following the opening of an Internal Affairs investigation over her substantial overtime earnings of more than $400,000.

Epps submitted her retirement papers on Monday, Dec. 16, and was subsequently suspended without pay. Epps, 51, joined the NYPD in July 2005 and last year was assigned to an administrative role in the office of NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey. (Related: Former Arizona newscaster and her husband indicted for fraudulently attempting to obtain COVID-19 relief loans.)

Her total compensation for fiscal year 2024 reached $406,515, making her the highest-paid officer in the department. Of her total earnings, $204,453 was in overtime pay, which accounted for 1,626 hours of additional work she supposedly rendered beyond her regular shift. Epps’ base salary was $172,893. She earned an additional $26,169 in “other pay.”

The lieutenant’s overtime hours raised eyebrows within the department, particularly as she held an administrative position rather than a patrol role. According to payroll records, Epps worked an average of approximately 74 hours per week, including overtime. This level of overtime was significantly higher than that of her superior, Maddrey, who earned roughly $292,000 in the same fiscal year.

Epps’ overtime pay was capped following initial reports regarding her massive overtime earnings, and she was informed that she would be reassigned to patrol duty. Sources who spoke with the New York Post indicated that Epps was unlikely to accept this reassignment, given her previous administrative role.

Additionally, the initial findings of the Internal Affairs investigation alleged that Epps falsified her overtime hours and signed off on her own timeslips. Other complaints against her alleged that she frequently arrived for work late, left early and regularly did not show up for work at all.

Epps to retire next year with a pension of up to $232,000 annually

Epps filed for a “vested separation retirement,” with her last day of service scheduled for Jan. 14, 2025. Her retirement comes just seven months short of her 20-year milestone of serving with the NYPD, which would have entitled her to a $12,000-a-year pension supplement.

Epps’ pension is expected to be based on her final year of service, with overtime earnings capped at 20 percent of the previous year’s total.

Under standard pension rules, she would receive 50 percent of her final year’s regular pay plus 20 percent of her overtime earnings from fiscal year 2023. This would result in an estimated annual retirement payment of approximately $155,000.

However, as a cancer survivor, Epps could potentially qualify for a disability pension, which would pay out 75 percent of her final annual salary, or around $232,000.

City payroll records indicate that Epps has been earning significantly more than her colleagues in overtime pay over the past three fiscal years.

In fiscal year 2022, she claimed 496 hours of overtime, earning her $49,561. This figure rose to 1,003 hours and $114,210 in fiscal year 2023.

The lieutenant’s retirement and the circumstances surrounding her overtime have drawn attention to broader issues within the NYPD regarding administrative overtime. Reports revealed that a significant number of the department’s top overtime earners hold administrative roles, including 13 officers assigned to the office of the New York City Police Commissioner.

In response to these revelations, the NYPD has initiated a crackdown on administrative overtime. Borough commanders have held meetings to address the issue, and precincts are under increased pressure to track overtime more rigorously. Mayor Eric Adams has also directed Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to conduct a “desk by desk” analysis of officers, stating that some may be “hiding out” in administrative roles.

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NYPD’s highest-earning cop with overtime-fueled $400K salary has retired following investigation into allegations of falsified overtime slips

Epps to retire next year with a pension of up to $232,000 annually

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