Opinion ID: 2521697
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Plaintiffs' Duties

Text: Plaintiffs are more than 4,000 sergeants in the NYPD who brought this action on April 19, 2004, asserting their entitlement to overtime pay requirements pursuant to the FLSA for the time period of April 19, 2001 to the present. The parties do not dispute the basic facts concerning NYPD sergeants' duties. Given the large number of plaintiffs, the parties, at the direction of the district court, identified a short list of deponents (also referred to as test plaintiffs) representing sixteen job categories, which were in turn organized into three groups. The first group of test plaintiffs included the following six categories of sergeants:  Housing Patrol Unit sergeants, who patrol public housing facilities and accompany police officers in conducting patrols of public housing buildings for criminal activity. App. II 377 ¶ 9.  Bike Unit sergeants, who patrol housing developments on bike or foot for suspicious activity. Id. ¶ 10.  Anti-Crime Unit sergeants, who patrol areas prone to violent crime, working alongside police officers in the field. Id. at 378 ¶ 11.  Street Narcotics Enforcement Unit sergeants, who focus on narcotics sales in and around public housing developments. Id. ¶ 12.  Mounted Unit sergeants, who patrol the City's streets and parks on horseback, ensuring pedestrian safety and maintaining crowd control. Id. at 378-79 ¶ 13.  Highway Patrol Unit sergeants, who patrol city highways and respond to vehicle and pedestrian accidents. Id. at 379 ¶ 14. These categories of sergeants perform general law enforcement activities as well as specialized law enforcement activities undertaken only by sergeants as opposed to lower-ranked police officers; sergeants are the second-lowest ranked officers in the NYPD. For example, sergeants are responsible for responding to incidents involving felonies, firearm discharges, and emotionally disturbed individuals. See Mullins v. City of N.Y., 523 F.Supp.2d 339, 342 (S.D.N.Y.2007). Further, as the district court noted: While their specific duties vary according to unit, sergeants are generally involved in activities that include pursuing, restraining, and apprehending suspects. Sergeants interview witnesses, suspects, victims, and vehicle operators. They are dispatched to all arrests in their unit and must respond when directly dispatched. Sergeants are responsible for verifying whether probable cause to arrest a suspect exists. They also verify the target location for search warrants and determine whether a warrant is appropriate based on their judgment and evaluation as to the existence of probable cause. Sergeants secure and determine the size and scope of a crime scene prior to the arrival of the Crime Scene Unit. Sergeants also make the determination as to whether a show-up or line-up identification procedure may be conducted under the circumstances. Id. at 342 (footnotes omitted). Additionally, sergeants take charge of operations at crime scenes if they are the highest ranking officers present. Id. at 344. Only sergeants can use certain equipment, such as tasers, water cannons, and restraining tape. Id. at 342. Sergeants also complete unusual occurrence reports, which provide the written details of a significant or unusual occurrence; write reports regarding any car chase; and review evidence vouchers and verify complaint reports, stop-and-frisk reports, and arrest reports. Id. at 343. Sergeants' additional responsibilities include instructing police officers on proper procedures, directing them to surveil certain areas, and monitoring their use of proper equipment and accurate recording of daily activities. Id.