Denver police officers accused the city in a federal lawsuit Monday of failing to pay them properly – part of a wave of suits challenging the way police are paid nationwide.
Attorneys representing 16 Denver officers, with 287 signed on in support, contend that police ought to be paid from the moment they put on their gear to begin shifts.
They cite a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling involving meat cutters that held time spent “donning and doffing” safety equipment counts as work.
The Denver lawsuit, assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch, also accuses the city of delaying payment of overtime wages and of keeping frontline officers from taking compensatory time off after working long weeks.
Police who typically report to work early to suit up in safety gear and attend roll-call meetings ought to be compensated for that work, said Detective Nick Rogers, lead plaintiff in the case. “That’s time away from your family, time away from things you want to do,” he said.
Police officers tried to talk with supervisors about this issue, and “they told us they didn’t want to talk with us,” attorney Gary Messing said. “They left us no recourse but to go to court.”
Denver police managers declined comment on the lawsuit. But the principle of paying police from the moment they suit up “could change the way we do business here,” spokesman Lt. Ron Saunier said. “This is going to be up to the court to decide.”
Police unions in Arizona, California and Georgia have filed similar lawsuits.
