Cleveland fire chief: Charges 'sad day' for the department

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland’s fire chief says the indictments of 13 firefighters this week don’t reflect the true character and outstanding emergency response of the agency.

Chief Daryl McGinnis said Thursday that the indictment of the firefighters on charges including illegally paying co-workers to cover their shifts, theft in office and improper compensation was “a sad day” for the department.

The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reports that McGinnis said he couldn’t comment on the investigation, but made it clear he wasn’t happy about it. Because of the Wednesday indictments, he said the department is undergoing changes to improve payroll policies and accountability.

Prosecutors say an audit and a special investigation determined the firefighters each failed to work 2,000 hours or more of their scheduled time between 2006 to 2010.