FARGO, N.D. – Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner explains why his office often places employees on paid administrative leave rather than not paying them if they’re under investigation.
“If they’re not paid, they’re not subjected to anything at the office. We’ve had issues with when we’ve placed people on unpaid administrative leave and we’re trying to get a hold of them to continue with the investigation that they don’t answer their phones and we don’t know where they’re at,” Jahner said.
Sometimes employees on unpaid administrative leave hire an attorney. Jahner says sometimes that leads to a lawyer not wanting his office to contact the employee until the attorney can represent them which can take weeks.
Jahner explains if the employee is on paid administrative leave, they’re asked to do their work duties from home from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM except on holidays recognized by the county with one hour for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 PM. If the employee leaves home, they must get approval.
