PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — WPTV has learned that there was "lack of evidence showing probable cause to charge" seven officers who were placed on administrative leave, according to a report.
WPTV first reported on Oct. 17, 2024, that the seven officers were placed on administrative leave concerning allegations of overtime/financial misconduct, according to the city.
WATCH: WPTV speaks with auditor for reaction to PBSO report
In the 93-page Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office offense report released on March 3, 2025, but obtained by WPTV's Ethan Stein on Friday, it stated in part the following:
“At this time, there is no evidence signaling an organized ‘scheme’ to defraud the city nor was there any evidence present to reflect intentionally ‘double-dipping’ and stealing money from the city and/or private vendors. This case is inactive at this time pending any new information as it pertains to facts relevant to this investigation.”
When Mayor Keith James announced the firing of Police Chief Frank Adderley on Oct. 1, 2024, he mentioned allegations of "numerous financial improprieties within the department."
Adderley denied those allegations.
Documents that WPTV gathered back in October 2024 showed internal city auditors focused on police overtime in 2020 and 2022.
According to the latest report, 27% of officers had numerous instances where they logged work hours for multiple locations simultaneously. It said this occurred because third-party vendors like an event center can pay officers directly for hours worked.
Auditors said systems weren’t communicating, making it difficult to flag overlapping hours.
WATCH PREVIOUS: 7 West Palm Beach officers on leave related to financial misconduct
WPTV's Michael Hoffman dug into the documents before he sat down with that auditor, Richard Rivera, for his reaction to the PBSO findings.
"It was fair, it was thorough, and if nothing came about, then that's what it is," said Rivera. "But something has to be done to prevent it from happening in the future."
The report states that "policies with clearer guidelines regarding timekeeping (command staff), overtime, extra duty details, etc., would have enabled investigators to clearly ascertain improprieties in this investigation as it relates to overtime."
Rivera says that has to change.
"When you're trying to hold a police officer accountable," said Rivera. "There has to be something steadfast written in policy, concrete so that everybody understands what's expected of them. And then if they deviate from that, then they need to be held accountable. And it just didn't exist in West Palm Beach."
In the report, investigators say none of the seven officers on leave were interviewed, which made proving intent impossible. The sheriff’s office says its "case is inactive at this time." However, the West Palm Beach Police Department says it still has its own internal affairs investigation that is open.
Rivera says that’s likely where we’ll see any real change, but it’s not guaranteed.
“[The] officers had the ability to invoke their own rights, and at the end of that process, even if you were able to interview them, it might still be a big nothing burger,“ said Rivera. “Internal Affairs, the bar is a lot lower. Officers are compelled to appear there, and they must answer the questions, and they have to do so truthfully. You have to demonstrate that a violation of policy existed. But if there's no written policies, then there's nothing that was violated. So that's the difficult hurdle for internal affairs to overcome.”
Rivera says it’s unclear if the officers will see any punishment going forward, but what will likely come out of all this, is better policy.
“That's why you undertake these internal investigations,” said Rivera. “Is to not only find out whether or not your officers did something wrong, but what could we do internally to make improvements.”
Hoffman reached out to Adderley for comment but his calls have not been returned.
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