Officers Sue Howard County Police Department For Unpaid Wages

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A lawsuit has been filed against the Howard County Police Department and County Executive Calvin Ball by 10 current and former members of the police department.

According to court documents obtained by FOX 45, the lawsuit cites unlawful pay practices and claims the county did not pay the officers overtime and stand-by pay, along with other forms of compensation, for years. The lawsuit stated that not being paid violates the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Maryland Equal Pay Act and county pay plan promises.

The complaint names the plaintiffs as current and retired captains and majors, including Christopher Williams, Phillip Mullinix, Tanya Riffle, Sarah Kayser, Michael Yetter, Jeffrey Specht, James Marshall, Cory Zirk, Thomas Ehart and Justin Baker. They are seeking unpaid wages and damages under the FLSA.

The lawsuit also claims county leaders threatened to retaliate against those who complained with such actions as night-shift reassignments, threatening removal of take-home vehicles and demotions, FOX 45 reported.

The complaint also references a 2019 lawsuit, Rodriguez et al. v. Howard County, in which other Howard County police officers claimed similar overtime violations. Seven of the 10 current plaintiffs joined that earlier case, too, WBFF stated.