Chattanooga Police Officers Sue The City for Back Pay

The pay scale for officers in the Chattanooga police department has never been consistent in recent years.
An attempt to equalize pay for different ranks began in earnest about 6 years ago, but the city never followed up.
That’s the complaint from 25 current and former officers who took it to court.

DR. BRUCE HUTCHINSON, UTC SOCIOLOGIST “…first two months, he should have been paid 58…he was being paid at 50-thousand …and then in March he should have been paid 61 thousand, he was being paid at 53-thousand.”

The numbers never quite added up to payroll fairness, according to documents.
UTC professor Bruce Hutchinson was called as an expert witness in Chancery court.
He had studied the pay scales.

Former Chief Bobby Dodd pointed out the problems to city leaders.
He was called to testify.

BOBBY DODD, FORMER CPD CHIEF “You said a step plan, we had sergeants on a scale..the pay scale the city..city-wide has not always been uniform. You had some sergeants maybe making 30-thousand ..some sergeants making 60-thousand…so anywhere between those two numbers people could be placed.”

At the time, said Dodd, there were reasons for the unusual pay plan.

BOBBY DODD  “There were a lot of factors, depending on when you started there, you had a college education, seniority, things of that nature. There was a lot of things factored into that.”

With 600 positions at the police department, Dodd said there weren’t always slots to promote officers. But he says the mayor and council agreed to his plan to equalize pay.
When he put for a raise for Sgt. Todd Royval, he found out differently.

BOBBY DODD  “I put it through for a pay raise and that’s when I found out they weren’t going to use that as a pay step play, that it was a one time adjustment.”

After unsuccessfully grieving the matter within the department, the officers filed the lawsuit.
They allege age discrimination, breach of contract, and violations of the City Code and department policy manual.
The officers are asking for a combined figure of about 700-thousand dollars back pay from the city.

That trial continues tomorrow in Hamilton county Chancery court.