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Is UPD Lieutenant being paid to not come to work?

By JOLEEN FERRIS

Story Created: Feb 25, 2011 at 11:30 AM EDT

Story Updated: Feb 25, 2011 at 2:23 PM EDT

UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - Are Utica taxpayers paying a city police officer to stay home?

City officials will not say it isn't so.

We do know that the city paid Utica Police Lieutenant Grace Pruitt $175,000 to settle her lawsuit against the city. The suit claimed that they passed her up for a promotion because she's a woman.

We do know that, according to Mayor David Roefaro's proposed budget for the next fiscal year, Pruitt is on the books for her roughly $72,000 annual salary.

We also know that she has not been to work.

Utica City Comptroller Michael Cerminaro says he learned at a Board of Estimate and Apportionment meeting that she "won't be coming back," but no one will confirm that Lt. Pruitt hasn't actually reported to work at UPD since late last year.

They won't discuss her employment at all, and, according to the New York State Committee on Open Government, that is wrong, and that the status of her employment is a matter of public record.

"The public has a right to know when and whether public employees come to work, or don't come to work, as the case may be," said Robert Freeman, Director of the Committee on Open Government.

In late January we filed a Freedom of Information Law Request for the agreement between the city and Grace Pruitt.

We are still waiting for a response.
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