A New Orleans police sergeant who claimed more than 4,500 work hours and received over $282,000 in 2025 has been fired following an internal investigation into his overtime and activity reports.
Investigators said surveillance footage showed Sgt. Henry Burke at his home outside Orleans Parish during periods when official records indicated that he was working.
The New Orleans Police Department concluded that Burke committed multiple payroll violations and submitted inaccurate reports. Prosecutors previously declined 10 felony counts filed against him, and no replacement criminal charge had been announced when he was terminated.
Overtime Turned an $87,000 Salary Into More Than $282,000
Burke was among the New Orleans Police Department’s highest-paid officers, according to WWL Louisiana. NOPD payroll records showed that Burke’s approximately $87,000 base salary grew to more than $282,200 in 2025 through overtime and other compensation.
He reported at least 4,529 work hours during the year, an average of more than 12 hours for every calendar day without accounting for vacations, weekends or other time away from work.
Burke had received nearly $245,903 in 2024, including more than $121,000 in overtime. His total compensation from 2022 through 2025 approached $750,000.
Surveillance Footage Contradicted His Timesheets
FOX 8 placed cameras outside Burke’s home on seven days during July and September 2025. On four of those days, the footage showed him at home while his timesheets indicated that he was working for NOPD. On July 13, video showed Burke leaving his home nearly 30 minutes after his recorded shift had begun. On July 15, he arrived home before the end time listed on another shift.
Some of the disputed hours involved work for the Mid-City Security District, where additional police patrols are funded through a special property-tax assessment paid by residents and businesses. NOPD’s Public Integrity Bureau also compared Burke’s trip sheets with police-vehicle camera data, radio records, equipment logs and other department information.
Activity Reports Described Work Investigators Said Did Not Occur
On July 13, Burke reported testing his equipment shortly before surveillance footage reportedly showed him at home outside Orleans Parish. He later recorded a business check at a Carrollton Avenue coffee shop while working a Mid-City Security District shift. Investigators said dash-camera metadata instead placed him at the Second District police station in Gert Town.
On July 15, Burke reported an equipment test during one period, but internal records allegedly showed that the test occurred more than an hour later. During the time the equipment was actually tested, his trip sheet said he was fueling his police vehicle. Investigators reported other conflicts involving claimed neighborhood patrols, equipment checks and the locations recorded by Burke’s police vehicle and radio.
An Earlier Review Found 489 Overtime Violations
Police watchdog Skip Gallagher said he filed a complaint concerning Burke’s overtime records in 2023. The resulting internal investigation found that Burke had violated NOPD overtime policies at least 489 times, according to FOX 8.
Burke received a letter of reprimand rather than being fired or criminally charged after that review. The later investigation examined whether the discrepancies included compensation for hours that were not worked and inaccurate entries in official police records.
New Orleans Changed Its Overtime Controls
The New Orleans Office of Inspector General found that the city and NOPD had not adequately budgeted or monitored police overtime, increasing the risk of payroll fraud, waste and abuse.
NOPD subsequently changed its payroll procedures and added safeguards involving overtime approval, timekeeping verification and auditing. The Inspector General’s Office reported that police overtime spending fell by approximately $8.3 million during 2026 following the policy changes.
Three other officers remained under internal investigation in connection with the wider examination of NOPD timekeeping.
NOPD Fired Burke After Its Administrative Investigation
NOPD arrested Burke in February 2026 on four counts of public payroll fraud and six counts of injuring public records. The department placed him on unpaid emergency suspension following the arrest.
The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office declined all 10 counts on July 1. NOPD said the matter had been referred to another jurisdiction but did not identify that jurisdiction or explain what further action was being considered.
Burke received his termination letter on July 23 after the department sustained multiple payroll violations and multiple instances of submitting inaccurate reports.
City Payroll Concerns Can Be Sent to the Inspector General
New Orleans residents, city employees and contractors can report suspected fraud, waste or abuse involving city money through the New Orleans Office of Inspector General.
The office accepts complaints through its online form, by email at hotline@nolaoig.gov or by telephone at 504-681-3247. A person submitting a report can request that their identity remain confidential.