LA Sheriff's deputies worked so much overtime that it might have hampered their job performance, according to an audit.
The finding is part of an audit by L.A. County Auditor-Controller Wendy L. Watanabe's office. The audit found that deputies worked overtime in violation of rules.
The overtime was the equivalent of an extra six months of full-time work, according to the LA Times. Between March 2007 and February 2008, 348 deputies worked more than 900 overtime hours, according to the audit.
"Employees who work significant amounts of overtime may not be physically/mentally capable of performing their jobs," Watanabe wrote in the audit.
On average, the department exceeded its overtime budget by 104 percent in each of the last five fiscal years, according to the Times.
Part of the problem was that timekeepers rarely noted the violations, the audit stated. Sheriff's officials said the department needs to improve overtime management.
They added that in some cases the overtime was for deputies who responded to unplanned events.
