According to Federal Way Police Chief Andy Hwang, people expect policing to be done right, which can cost more money due to multiple factors requiring officers to work overtime.

In 2024, the Federal Way Police Department (FWPD) officers were paid $2,201,553 in overtime, according to data received through a public records request.

However, the department paid $1,740,383 with the remaining amount covered by agencies that contracted officers to work overtime on various tasks, such as being present at active construction sites or working security at places like Wild Waves Theme Park, among other duties.

In 2023, overtime paid out by the department was $1,614,308 — that’s $126,075 less than the amount paid out by the department in 2024. Chief Hwang said this increase in overtime pay in 2024 was primarily due to a 13% salary increase officers received from a new contract, which in turn raised the cost of overtime.

Why does overtime happen?

Hwang listed some reasons why officers log overtime.

Some officers rack up overtime by staying on the scene at an incident and completing their case report. There’s also short staffing and the need to keep minimum staffing levels by covering for officers who call out or take vacation. Overtime also occurs when filling in for officers who are being called into court to testify, SWAT responses, which are almost always after officers’ regular shifts, and contracted work.

Hwang said shift extension is the biggest contributor to overtime, and after that, it’s shift call-ins, which are when gaps need to be filled because of call-outs or when SWAT or detectives are called in to respond to incidents.

“If you have a violent crime, let’s say, toward the end of the shift, for example, all the officers on that squad are going to be tied up. Then you have detectives coming in, who are generally on overtime, and unless it happens during business hours, then you have overtime,” Hwang said. “Sometimes the incident is big enough that you’re going to call in officers early from the shift that officers are gonna come on. You’re calling them early because all the officers are tied up.”

Despite overtime often being needed, Hwang said officers are seldom required to work overtime unless they need to stay at the scene of a crime. Hwang said some officers frequently volunteer to work overtime when extra help is needed, while others rarely work overtime unless required to stay on a scene past their shift.

Hwang said that for the officers who work a lot of overtime, burnout is important to avoid, so officers have a 16-hour limit on how much they can work in a day. Hwang said if they notice performance issues in officers who work a lot of overtime, they will reduce their overtime.

Top five officers with most overtime hours accrued

• 1,761.50 hours of overtime, resulting in overtime pay of $147,450.28.

• 1,734.50 hours, resulting in overtime pay of $148,114.11.

• 1,104.25 hours, resulting in overtime pay of $92,647.23.

• 933.25 hours, resulting in overtime pay of $99,153.86.

• 896.50 hours, resulting in overtime pay of $74,632.57.

Minimum staffing levels

Hwang said there are minimum staffing levels, and if an officer calls in sick, is on vacation or is on leave because they had a baby, for example, then somebody needs to be called in to fulfill minimum staffing levels. However, Hwang said it’s preferred to have more than the minimum staffing level so officers can handle calls quicker.

Hwang said from 6 a.m. to noon, the minimum staffing level is seven, but there are usually around 10 to 12 officers on duty, so if an incident occurs and officers are occupied, the extra officers can fill in and respond to emergency calls. From noon to midnight, Hwang said the minimum staffing level is nine, and then it goes back to seven after midnight.

Hwang said the department has officers who work on special operations, doing things such as focusing on violent crimes, prostitution and stopping drug operations, among other focuses. Hwang said if there is a need in patrol to have minimum staffing levels, then officers can be pulled away from those operations. Hwang said minimum staffing only applies to patrol, which is a priority because patrol officers respond to emergencies.

Overtime in 2025

Hwang said in 2025, so far, overtime is down 25% compared to last year, which he attributes to better staffing. Hwang said that staffing numbers decreased following significant police reform, as many officers retired or left the profession due to frustration with the state law changes.

However, in the last two to three years, the department has been proactive in hiring more officers, Hwang said.

The department is budgeted for 154 officers for the 2025-2026 biennium, the highest number in its history, according to Hwang. Hwang said 154 officers is a luxury because in the past, during a recession, the department had as few as 122 officers, and the number of calls has stayed steady from then to now.

If there were an opportunity to have even more staff, Hwang said it would allow the department to provide better service, and there would be less strain on the department. If extra funding were available, Hwang said it would be nice to have an additional squad of six officers plus a supervisor who could focus on going after more violent offenders.

Hwang said that managing overtime could be achieved by increasing the number of officers, thereby reducing the need for officers already on shift to fill in where necessary and accrue overtime.

But the department cannot eliminate overtime. Hwang said having more officers could increase overtime in certain areas, such as training and officers going to court.

“The most important thing for me is, yes, managing overtime is good because it’s healthy for the organization, it’s healthy for the officers,” Hwang said. “But at the end of the day, we have a mission to protect this community and there’s public expectations that we do it right. So sometimes that costs money.”

The mayor’s views on overtime

The FWPD’s 2024 overtime budget was $1,065,009, but the amount spent on overtime in 2024 was $1,704,383. Although the overtime expenses exceeded the budget, Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell said that the police department as a whole remained within budget.

According to the Mayor’s Office Communications Manager Ben Miller, the FWPD’s budget in 2024 was $37.5 million, with total expenditures totaling $36 million. Miller said the $1.5 million difference came from budgeted salary savings. Miller said the FWPD was budgeted for more positions in 2024 than were filled, and most, if not all, of the savings came from the salaries that were budgeted for those open positions, but were not filled.

“In police work, some overtime is simply unavoidable. Emergencies don’t follow a schedule, and our officers often go above and beyond to respond to incidents, complete investigations, and ensure public safety around the clock,” Ferrell said. “That said, I’m proud of how the police department has managed its resources, staying within budget in 2024 while delivering high-quality service to our community. We will continue to monitor and manage overtime responsibly to keep our city safe and well-served.”

Regarding whether using overtime would be cheaper than hiring more officers, Ferrell said in the short term, it can result in cost savings, but having adequate staffing is always the preferred and best practice for community safety. Ferrell said relying too heavily on overtime can lead to officer fatigue, which can impact both officer safety and the quality of service provided.

Ferrell said that public safety is the number one priority, and each budget cycle, the city carefully evaluates staffing needs in the police department to keep up with the demands of the growing city. Ferrell said this evaluation is why, in the biennial 2025-2026 budget, police staff was increased to 154. Ferrell said the city will continue exploring opportunities, including city and state funding, to support sustainable staffing levels.

“Our officers serve this community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, often staying beyond their shifts to respond to incidents and ensure public safety,” Ferrell said. “I fully support Chief Hwang’s commitment to prioritizing the safety and well-being of our residents. I have complete confidence in FWPD’s leadership to responsibly manage overtime and use resources effectively.”