Your figure of $24,000,000 is probably low. Remember, the average salary is heavily based on entry level salaries.
I feel confident that these guys were probably higher ups, receiving bigger salaries, since they were non-performing or non-existent, except on the payroll rolls.
You got to have seniority to be a ghost-policeman. :-)
LOL! (really)
You're probably right...however, this would be so easy to uncover. There are records outside of NO that can be checked. ALL police officer candidates undergo an NCIC check for criminal backgrounds to include fingerprint search. They also have to be certified with the State as police officers (another record outside of NO) and there would be training records, daily assignment sheets...God, this is too easy. I used to do financial investigations on a PD in Ohio and the drug dealers were smarter than this....Can I please volunteer to work this case!!!!
And padded with overtime pay as well.