Overtime costs are skyrocketing at the Allegheny County Jail, Action News Investigates has learned.That's raising safety and financial concerns, even among some guards who are getting big paydays.Our investigation found overtime at the jail has soared by nearly $1.5 million over three years. Some correctional officers are now making nearly $200,000 a year in salary and overtime, but some of them worry all that extra work could be dangerous for them and inmates.Working at the jail can be stressful. Video from 2016 shows a cell extraction team responding to inmates who posed a threat to themselves or others. Corrections officers try to deescalate situations before they reach that point."It's very difficult to deescalate situations when you're also sleep deprived," said Brian Englert, president of the Allegheny County Prison Employees Independent Union.Records show there are plenty of jail guards with reason to be sleep deprived.Last year, one corrections officer earned $100,000 in overtime – averaging 30 hours of overtime per week – with total pay of $188,000.Another earned $93,000 in overtime, also averaging 30 hours per week. Total earnings: $172,000.Most overtime is mandatory. Englert – who earned $71,000 in overtime last year – says he would happily accept less money to get more time with his family."And when you work a lot of overtime, your body breaks down. There's little things that you may miss that can become more dangerous for the officers," Englert said.Records show overtime at the jail has soared from $8.2 million in 2019 to $9.7 million last year."You're up by a million and a half dollars in the last three years. Is that a concern?" investigative reporter Paul Van Osdol asked."That's not a concern because I feel as though 24/7 facilities, you're going to see some increases, as other 24/7 facilities," jail warden Orlando Harper said.Other law enforcement agencies are struggling to find employees, but records show the jail spends more than $100,000 in overtime for guards to monitor inmates making food at the officers' cafeteria, even though the warden and the union say that job is supposed to be done by the jail's food contractor, Summit Food Service."When Summit has a vacancy, we have to place a correctional officer there to ensure the safety and security of the employee lounge," Harper said."I feel like it's a total waste of taxpayer money, and it creates a dangerous situation where, you know, I have an officer there, sitting there watching people prepare our food, but I might need them up in the hallway on level three, where we have the most inmates," Englert said.In a statement, a Summit spokesperson says the company "is not in agreement with the contract interpretation by the correctional officers' union regarding staffing requirements for the officers dining room. Nonetheless, Summit continues to work closely with the Allegheny County Jail to continuously staff and ensure adequate supervision of inmates throughout the 24-hour operation hours of the officers dining room and to propose alternate solutions when necessary.""It's a lot of money, and it's taxpayer money," County Controller Corey O'Connor said.O'Connor said he will review overtime spending as part of a jail staffing audit."We're going to find out whether those contractors are following the letter of the law that they agreed to. If they did not, then we want to fight for the taxpayer money back," he said.Harper says the jail would like to hire up to 40 new corrections officers and that they are actively recruiting, but the union says half of all new officers are quitting within a year.