Fort Lauderdale police officer arrested on grand theft, fraud charges

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale police officer has been arrested after an investigation revealed he fraudulently billed work hours, the department said.

James McDowell, 37, turned himself in to the Broward County Main Jail on Thursday morning to face three counts of grand theft and one count of organized scheme to defraud, police spokeswoman Casey Liening said.

“Preliminary details from the investigation have revealed several instances where McDowell signed on to work off-duty details while still working his regularly scheduled shift at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department,” Liening said in an emailed statement. “This resulted in several hundred fraudulently billed hours and the loss of thousands of dollars.

“These alleged actions do not reflect the character and professionalism of the men and women of this agency.”

The department placed McDowell on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the criminal prosecution to be handled by the Broward County State Attorney’s Office.

Fort Lauderdale’s public corruption unit conducted the initial investigation, Liening said.