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Journalism for Journalism’s sake

Written by Brian on May 4, 2008 – 9:45 am -

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The JS has a great article today on sick leave abuses by the Department of Corrections.

The Journal Sentinel reviewed the weekly time sheets of the state’s 20 highest-paid correctional officers for 2006 and other state records. The review found:

• Eight of the officers called in sick for a shift and then picked up the immediate next shift at least once. They received eight hours of regular pay for the shift they were sick, and time and a half for the eight or more hours of overtime work.

• One Redgranite Correctional Institution officer used nearly 23 days of sick leave. She was paid $97,280 that year, including $51,042 in overtime.

• Officers on average use about 100 hours - or 12.5 days - of sick leave a year. That’s more than 50% above the average for all state employees of 66 hours of sick leave.

• Officers can use three weeks of sick leave a year before their bosses put them on a watch list for potential abuse. Officers can come off the watch list without any discipline if they use less than 40 hours of sick leave in four months.

Naturally, the most of the bureaucrats refused to be interviewed for the story and the Union bosses are refusing to give out any names of the officers who abuse sick leave for financial gain at taxpayer expense.

I really enjoy when the JS gets off its collective duff and does some serious investigative journalism. Why doesn’t this happen more often? And why is it so rare that it has to fall under some special “watchdog” category? Shouldn’t the JS be doing investigative stories every other day?

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