SHREVEPORT CITY JAILERS SUE OVER MANDATORY OVERTIME

Last Friday (Sept. 25), two Shreveport city jailers filed litigation against the City of Shreveport and various members of the Shreveport Police Department (SPD) including SPD Chief Wayne Smith requesting the Caddo District Court rule that SPD’s policy mandating overtime work by city jailers at the Shreveport City Jail (Jail) to be unlawful.
 
The Jail policy allows jail supervisors to require jailers to work an additional four hours to the regular 8-hour shift. The justification for this policy is that the Jail is short staffed.
 
The pleadings state the Jail has been short staffed for 10 years and that the City has failed to take reasonable actions to fully staff the Jail, which would avoid the need for mandatory overtime work.
 
The lawsuit alleges that SPD officers have forced jailers to work overtime under the threat of adverse action against them including being “written up” which impacts their annual review and potential disciplinary action.
 
The plaintiffs are asking the Court to rule that the Jail policy regarding mandatory overtime work be declared illegal and that an injunction to enjoin further mandatory overtime hours for city jailers.