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Three Jacksonville Police Officers Arrested for Overtime Fraud, New Policy Faces Implementation Challenges
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) has arrested three officers for allegedly claiming thousands of dollars in overtime pay for hours they never worked, raising concerns about accountability within the department and the effectiveness of new oversight measures.
Sheriff T.K. Waters announced the arrests of Sgt. Michael Rourke, Officer Christopher Sosa, and former Officer Dylan Bostick on charges of grand theft, organized fraud, and official misconduct—all third-degree felonies. The three allegedly submitted false overtime claims for traffic enforcement shifts funded by a Florida Department of Transportation grant.
“These guys had knowledge that they could do this, and they were taking advantage of the system,” Sheriff Waters said during a press conference addressing the arrests.
The investigation began after the unrelated February arrest of former officer Christian Madsen, who was accused of falsely claiming $14,000 in overtime while actually spending time with his girlfriend, who was also his supervisor. That case prompted the JSO Integrity Unit to conduct a comprehensive audit of all traffic overtime claims connected to the FDOT grant.
According to investigators, between December 2025 and February 2026, Rourke claimed 51 hours of overtime he didn’t work, resulting in more than $4,600 in fraudulent payments. Bostick submitted claims for 243 hours, collecting approximately $18,000, while Sosa claimed 147.5 hours, receiving over $10,700 for work he didn’t perform.
The false claims were uncovered through a combination of technological evidence. Investigators found no radio location communications or body camera footage during the claimed overtime hours. Further examination of the officers’ cell phone records, including analysis by an FBI expert, revealed they weren’t at their claimed locations during the reported shifts.
Former JSO detective Kim Varner expressed concerns about how these arrests might impact public trust in law enforcement and ongoing criminal cases.
“Those officers, if they’re lying on those reports, what’s their work going to look like in court?” Varner said. “We’re held to a higher standard, so naturally, people are going to look at you funny when you get accused and convicted. It’s embarrassing, it’s a very embarrassing thing.”
In response to the fraud cases, the Sheriff’s Office is implementing a new policy requiring officers working overtime to report to an on-duty supervisor who must visually confirm their presence. However, Varner questioned the practicality of this approach.
“They may be in one zone, there may be 40 officers working, off-duty work in different areas, so that supervisor is going to have to run to each spot. That’s going to be kind of complicated,” Varner explained. He suggested JSO supervisors would likely supplement the policy with GPS tracking to verify officers’ locations during claimed overtime hours.
Sheriff Waters said the supervisor overseeing all the arrested officers, identified only as C. Plank, is leaving the agency. While Plank is not under criminal investigation, he is the subject of an administrative review.
The department’s personnel files show all three arrested officers had previous disciplinary issues. Bostick was involved in a chargeable traffic crash in 2017 and faced two criminal complaints, with one sustained for “failing to take appropriate action.” Rourke received formal counseling twice for misuse of computer software and later for insubordination. Sosa had been counseled three times since 2022 for violating JSO’s body camera policy and underwent remedial training after a traffic crash in 2017.
Rourke was suspended on March 12, while Sosa was suspended on March 3. Bostick resigned on March 3. Sheriff Waters indicated that JSO is seeking to terminate Rourke and Sosa, while Bostick is expected to surrender to authorities.
These cases mark the third, fourth, and fifth arrests of JSO employees in 2026. Sheriff Waters stated he doesn’t anticipate additional arrests stemming from traffic and overtime misconduct as the agency works to strengthen its oversight mechanisms and prevent future abuses.
The overtime fraud scheme has raised questions about supervision and accountability within JSO, particularly regarding grant-funded overtime programs that rely on electronic monitoring systems like iPass to verify hours worked.
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9 Comments
It’s disappointing to see officers exploiting the system for personal gain. Robust oversight and transparency around overtime policies are important to uphold the integrity of the department. I’m curious to hear more about the former detective’s perspective on enforceability.
The former detective’s insight could provide valuable lessons on how to close loopholes and strengthen the new policy. Their experience dealing with these types of issues firsthand would be insightful.
It’s concerning to see officers abusing overtime policies for personal gain. Maintaining public trust is critical for law enforcement, so the JSO needs to take decisive action to address this issue and prevent similar incidents in the future.
I agree. The former detective’s perspective could shed light on practical challenges with implementing and enforcing these types of policies. Their insights could help the JSO develop a more robust system.
This case highlights the need for better controls and accountability around overtime claims in law enforcement. The JSO should learn from this incident and work to implement a fair, transparent, and enforceable policy that protects against abuse.
Overtime abuse is a serious issue that erodes public confidence in law enforcement. I hope the JSO thoroughly investigates this case and uses the lessons learned to strengthen its overtime policies and procedures going forward.
Falsifying overtime claims is a serious offense. I hope the investigation uncovers the full extent of the fraud and leads to appropriate disciplinary actions. The new policy needs to be implemented carefully to avoid such misuse in the future.
This is troubling. Accountability and proper oversight of overtime policies are crucial to prevent abuse and maintain public trust in law enforcement. The JSO needs to ensure robust systems are in place to verify overtime claims.
This is a disappointing breach of public trust. While the new overtime policy aims to improve accountability, the former detective’s concerns about enforceability are valid. The JSO must ensure the policy is airtight and provides adequate safeguards against fraud.