In 2020, the New York State Legislature repealed Civil Rights Law § 50-a, which, since 1976, had provided absolute protection for police officers’, corrections officers’, and certain peace officers’ personnel records used to evaluate job performance. The same legislative package added amendments to
William Shelton was a police officer employed by the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) in Ohio. Outside of his police duties, Shelton also performed as a rap artist and maintained several public social-media accounts. Although supervisors were aware that Shelton made music, his public Y
A Michigan State Police Trooper was intoxicated at a Michigan State Police Troopers Association (MSPTA) event and engaged in serious misconduct. Surveillance video showed the trooper placing her fingers into the “anal crevice” of a male coworker, striking another coworker in the genitals, and attem
Sergeant Jeffrey Tagmyer, a Pittsburgh police officer, was subpoenaed as a witness by his union, the Fraternal Order of Police, to testify in a discipline grievance arbitration for another officer, Sergeant Brian Elledge. After the initial arbitration hearing was continued, City Assistant Solicitor
The Missouri Supreme Court suspended attorney Ryan Christopher McCarty from the practice of law for disclosing confidential client information after his termination as associate general counsel for the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD). McCarty began working for the KCPD in June 2022 and was term
A Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board hearing examiner issued two companion decisions on August 21, 2025, together finding that the Jenkintown Borough, Pennsylvania, Police Department and Police Chief Thomas Scott committed multiple unfair labor practices under the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act
Courts have long recognized that applying the First Amendment’s free speech protection to the public employment context requires a balancing act. The Supreme Court’s 1968 decision in Pickering v. Board of Education established the now-familiar framework to determine whether a public employer violate
On April 24, 2018, off-duty Dallas Police Officer Chad Seward, working as a security guard for Home Depot, responded to a report from Home Depot about suspicious behavior. A store employee, Scott Painter, observed Armando Juarez concealing items in a bucket and hiding in the store, leading Seward to
Firefighters working for the Wilmington Fire Department in The City of Wilmington, Delaware, are represented by IAFF Local 1590. For more than three decades, the Department had prohibited sick leave abuse under General Rule 15:11, classifying such misconduct as a Class F Violation subject to progres
The 2011 CBA between the union representing New Haven, Connecticut, police officers and the City of New Haven expired on June 30, 2016. The City and Union were unable to negotiate a new agreement before that date. Under state law, the New Haven police officers continued to work under the terms of th
The Barry Goldwater Institute for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, sought drafts of a proposed 2024 memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (PLEA), as well as communications about PLEA’s failure to submit a draft MOU
The 2013 CBA between the Newark Fire Officers Union and the City of Newark provided two terminal leave options for retiring officers. The traditional option allowed the officer to remain on the payroll and receive full salary, earning pension credits, while not reporting for work during their termi
The Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) considered a case involving the Police Officers Association of Michigan and its affiliate, the Leelanau County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, and Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office. The dispute arose after the parties reached a tentative collective ba
Mitch Bratton, the chief of police for the Village of Grayson, called the Louisiana State Police to report suspicions that the town clerk was stealing from the town. Louisiana State Police detectives went to Grayson to speak to Bratton and ask him to provide records related to the narcotics fund, b
The Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge No. 47, started gathering signatures for a representation election, and on February 7, 2024, the FOP notified the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office that 75% of their employees had voted “yes” for collective bargaining. The FOP also stated that it had met with Sheri
The Plain View Project, which collected Facebook posts and comments made by current and former police officers from across the United States, became publicly available in 2017. The database contained over 3,000 posts attributed to Philadelphia police officers, 593 of which were tied to the plaintif
Kate Adams was hired by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department in 1994, and by March 2020, she had worked her way up to Chief of Police for the City of Rancho Cordova in California. Her time in the position, however, was short-lived, as Adams was forced to resign the following year after allegat
The Texas Supreme Court recently upheld a provision in the Austin Firefighters Association collective bargaining agreement that provides paid leave for “Association Business.” The case, Roger Borgelt, et al. v. Austin Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 975, et al., involved a challenge brought by
James Stanley was a correctional sergeant in Macomb County, Michigan, serving under Sheriff Anthony Wickersham and Undersheriff Elizabeth Darga. Wickersham was elected in 2012, and Stanley had supported Wickersham’s opponent. In 2016, Wickersham ordered Stanley’s demotion from sergeant to correctio
Jatonya Clayborn Muldrow was a police officer for the City of St. Louis. From 2008 through 2017, Muldrow worked in the Department’s specialized Intelligence Division, a job that came with perks, responsibilities, and preferable scheduling. In 2017, she was transferred against her will and replaced
The New Hampshire Troopers Association is the exclusive bargaining representative for New Hampshire State Police. In October 2020, New Hampshire’s governor issued an executive order requiring state troopers to wear body worn cameras. In August 2021, Association representatives met with Peter Demas,
In October 2019, the police chief for the City of Elgin, Illinois announced officer shift assignments for the following calendar year. Officers chose their vacation days for 2020 based on seniority. Brett Essick, who had been a City police officer for over a decade, was assigned to the midnight shif
Jeremy Clawson is a black firefighter in the City of Albany, New York. He began his career with the Albany Fire Department (AFD) in 1993, was promoted to lieutenant in 2005, and to captain in 2010. In 2019, Clawson was offered a provisional promotion to battalion chief, the third highest-ranking pos
David Foriska is a correctional officer working at Allegheny County Jail in Pennsylvania. Foriska was terminated for alleged misconduct, and reinstated on September 16, 2018, pursuant to an arbitrator’s order. The award also provided that Foriska “shall be made whole for any and all losses, includin
