AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: OCTOBER 2017 27 Police officers guard a statue of former Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo as protesters march against white supremacy on August 16, 2017 in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Demonstrations are being held following clashes between white supremacists and counter-protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images) T he Philadelphia F.O.P just won a dispute over over- time rules – and it may be the first win of its type for a police union. The controversy and sub- sequent legal battle erupted when the city of Philadelphia refused to pay its officers who were required by the agency to check their phones and emails when they were off duty. The F.O.P. argued that being on the phone and answering emails should be considered being “on call” and officers should be paid according to the overtime rules outlined in the union contract. Officers were expected to take phone calls and check emails many times a day, even if you were off duty, according to the F.O.P. Presi- Eight million coming dent John McNesby. “And if you were not in contact with the city, even on your time off, you were sub- ject to discipline,” McNesby added. “Our argument was when they are not being paid, they should not have to answer phone calls or respond to emails from the agency when they are at the beach or mountains.” The decision was a deci- sive victory for the F.O.P. whose leaders were confi- dent that taking calls and emails on personal time should count as overtime. The total settlement was $8 million dollars which means each officer will get a check for around $1300. McNesby also said the union will be working on develop- ing a better system to make sure all communication is handled during work hours but if an officer is called or emailed and expected to respond when off duty, the system should guarantee that overtime rules will kick in. • High, Medium & Low modes for task-specific lighting • Rechargeable to save on battery costs • Durable aluminum construction with non-slip rubberized grip • Backed by over 40 years of Streamlight commitment STREAMLIGHT.COM SHARE YOUR STINGER STORIES AND PHOTOS. #SLSTINGER THE 800 LUMENS STINGER LED HL® . THE LIGHT YOU CAN TRUST. WE’RE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO PROUDLY PUT OUR NAME ON IT.