A fire department dispatcher in Gates, a suburb of Rochester, N.Y., has been accused of deliberately including incorrect information on his time card. State police have charged Stephen Leuchtner with falsifying timesheets from January 2008 to August 2013.

During this period, Leuchtner received $65,000 for more than 1,900 hours of overtime. According to authorities, Leuchtner was arraigned on one count for each entry of offering a false instrument for filing, amounting to 267. He was also arraigned on accounts of first-degree falsifying business records and grand larceny for the false overtime pay he had received.

In addition to his regular dispatcher duties, Leuchtner was responsible for quality assurance tasks, including checking protocol and procedures. Leuchtner filed for overtime, claiming that he performed these duties outside of regular hours. An internal audit investigation conducted in late August revealed he never completed this work.

Leuchtner is pleading not guilty to these charges, and is currently free on his own recognizance. His next court date is Jan. 2, 2014.

In an interview with the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Gates Fire Chief Jim Harrington stated the department has introduced a new system of checks and balances to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future. In addition to an internal monitoring system, time and attendance software is essential in keeping track of employee time to prevent infractions.

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