HOUSTON — The Houston Police Department spent $74 million on overtime in fiscal year 2025, surpassing its $45 million budget by more than $29 million, the Houston Chronicle reports.
The 26% increase from the previous year is largely attributed to demands within the department’s traffic enforcement division, where overlapping shift and court schedules continue to drive costs.
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Traffic officers often work afternoon and evening shifts when violations are most common. They are then required to appear in court the following morning to testify on citations issued — a scheduling conflict that often results in regular overtime earnings, even for brief court appearances.
The overtime total reflects spending during the city’s fiscal year running from May 2024 through April 2025. According to public records, seven of the 10 highest overtime earners during that time worked in traffic enforcement, collectively earning $3.5 million in overtime alone.
Under a recently approved contract between the city and the Houston Police Officers’ Union, the minimum overtime for court appearances has doubled from two to four hours. That means officers summoned to court may now receive four hours of overtime pay, regardless of the duration of their court appearance.
Records show that in several cases, officers earned more in overtime than in base salary. One senior officer, for example, received nearly $170,000 in overtime in fiscal year 2025 — nearly twice his $90,000 base salary. According to public records, that officer also spends two full workdays each week in court and has previously faced disciplinary action related to overtime practices.
Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers’ Union, told the Houston Chronicle that traffic enforcement and major event staffing are inherently costly and often difficult to manage. With Houston set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Griffith expects another spike in overtime spending.
“Just wait until next year with FIFA and it being 21 days,” Griffith said. “There’s going to be a ton of overtime spending during that event.”
The city recently approved a new contract that provides HPD officers with a 36.5% raise over five years. Officials hope the increase will help recruitment efforts and reduce the department’s reliance on overtime.
Under department policy, all overtime must be reviewed by at least two supervisors and is subject to divisional audits. Despite those checks, officers in certain assignments continue to receive substantial overtime compensation — often in response to operational and court-related demands, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Griffith said there’s no easy fix when it comes to reducing overtime in traffic enforcement, where staffing levels must align with community expectations and legal obligations.
“You can’t dictate what cases will send an officer to court, or how long court appearances will take,” Griffith said.
