WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — West Palm Beach Police Chief Tony Araujo announced Friday the termination of five command-level officers following a nearly two-year administrative investigation into overtime misconduct, marking the latest development in what has rocked the department since 2020.
WATCH BELOW: 3 West Palm Beach police captains among those fired in probe
"Yesterday, following a thorough, nearly two-year administrative investigation, and after careful review of the findings, I made the difficult decision to terminate five command-level officers," Araujo said during a Friday morning press conference.
The firings — which included three captains, a major and an assistant chief — come as the culmination of an investigation that began after a 2020 audit commissioned by the city uncovered nearly $20,000 worth of "double dipping" on timecards and thousands of hours of questionable overtime payments within the police department.
The controversy dates back to 2020 when a third-party audit examined the finances of multiple city departments. The audit revealed what officials called "pretty egregious" overtime spending patterns within the police department that had gone undetected for years.
The investigation eventually led to the firing of former Police Chief Frank Adderley and placed seven officers on administrative leave related to financial misconduct. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office was brought in to handle the administrative investigation to ensure impartiality.
The press conference Friday morning comes after the union pushed back against the terminations, claiming a "different standard" was applied to the fired captains compared to other officers involved in the overtime scheme. The union had previously filed a lawsuit alleging violations of the Police Officers' Bill of Rights, though that lawsuit was subsequently withdrawn.
"I respect the union. They have their own opinion. They have their own interpretation. I'm going to respectfully disagree," Araujo said. "But again, we're going to leave that to the continued due process that will take place, and I don't begrudge the union for advocating for their membership."
WATCH THE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE BELOW:
Araujo emphasized that the terminations were part of a broader effort to rebuild trust and accountability within the department. He said the department has strengthened training, reviewed overtime practices, and implemented better supervision of extra duty assignments.
The chief acknowledged the department had been on accreditation probation when he arrived, a status that city leadership was unaware of at the time. He said those issues have since been corrected.
Araujo indicated the department may need to conduct promotions to fill the vacant leadership positions.
The chief stressed that despite the misconduct by some officers, the majority of the department's personnel continue to provide professional service to the community.
"We have good people at the West Palm Beach Police Department. Be certain of that; we have good leadership," Araujo said. "We can't look at the department as a whole and make a decision of the whole just based on the few."
Police Union Pushes Back On Firings
Fraternal Order of Police Union President Adam Myers, who represents the three captains, said a criminal investigation by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office found no criminality and determined it was an administrative matter.
"Initially, there was a criminal investigation by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. They found there was no criminality and basically said it was an administrative issue," Myers said.
Myers said the internal affairs report found the city had installed software designed to prevent officers from clocking two simultaneous shifts. Because the command staff members were salaried rather than hourly employees, they used what is called flex time — time earned from working beyond their regular schedule — to offset the extra hours. Myers said the practice was approved and directed by Adderley, who was chief at the time.
"They would put in vacation hours to take themselves off, so that it would allow the other program to let them pick up their job, and then they go back and take out the time because they aren't hourly employees," Myers said.
Investigators found that because the software only checked for scheduling conflicts when a job was selected — and not after leave was removed — the overlapping hours remained. The report said at least four command staff members later admitted to using that process.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, which conducted the internal affairs investigation, called it a vulnerability that undermined the purpose of the system.
Myers said the outcome has been difficult for the officers involved.
"If you follow the direction you're given by your supervision all the way to the top of the agency, and then to be reviewed and found that that's improper because it's a differing opinion is hard," Myers said.
Araujo pushed back on that characterization.
"I'm going to respectfully disagree, but again, we're going to leave that to the continued due process that will take place," Araujo said.
Araujo said the department's focus remains on rebuilding trust.
"Public trust is not something we inherit. It's something we earn," Araujo said.
The union will pursue arbitration on behalf of the officers.
