INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Ken Jarnagin, the acting police chief for the Independence Police Department, has been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of an investigation into at least one police officer's approved alleged misuse of overtime.
Jarnagin took over as police chief at the end of 2021 when former Independence Police Chief Brad Halsey retired.
“This decision has been made to maintain the integrity of the investigation and the parties involved,” Independence City Manager Zach Walker said in a statement from the city. "We will continue to provide updates as appropriate throughout this investigation.
Jarnagin's leave will last two weeks.
City records show a police officer, who KSHB has chosen not to name at this time, logged 2,800 hours of overtime in 2021.
The police officer earned more than $263,000 in 2021, making him the highest-paid city employee.
He was paid overtime to paint and complete light construction jobs at the municipal jail — work Walker said was approved by higher-ups in the department, but should not have been.
The officer, a 25-year veteran with the department, made more than $160,000 in overtime last season for work Walker said should have gone through official procurement channels, could have been performed during regular hours by city maintenance staff and fell outside the scope of the officer's law-enforcement duties.
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