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An investigation by the Plain Dealer found that "dozens of Parma police officers have shirked their duties and bent the rules in pursuit of more money, aggravating the city's budget crisis." What's more, "the department commanders say they are powerless to stop them." Using open records requests to obtain a mass of data including police payroll, criminal citation and ticket data -- along with payroll sheets, duty records, personnel files and union requests, the Plain Dealer uncovered that crooked cops in Parma were not only retaliating against city attempts to reform the system with "an orchestrated and financial crippling work slow down," but they were also gaming the taxpayers for much more money than they were entitled to -- for instance swapping sick time for overtime to earn double the pay for a normal shift. The series spawned a rash of resignations and investigations in Parma.