Former Pflugerville police officer sues department, seeking K-9 compensation
A former Pflugerville police officer is demanding back pay for taking care of his police dog at home and after regular work hours, according to a lawsuit filed this month.
Jefferson Schaefer filed suit Jan. 3 in U.S. District Court claiming he did not receive any compensation for overtime work, which would be a violation of federal labor laws.
Pflugerville Police Department spokesperson Sara Bustilloz said the city does not comment on pending litigation.
David Langenfeld, an attorney who specializes in labor employment law, is representing Schaefer in the suit. He said Schaefer cared for his K-9 partner, Cora, away from work. That care encompassed training, feeding, exercising and general care.
Schaefer most recently worked within the Pflugerville school district Police Department, which has more than two dozen officers working at the 34 district campuses.
Police departments and cities often create agreements to compensate police officers for taking care of their K-9 partners, Langenfeld said.
But in cases like Schaefer’s, he said, officers who did not have an agreement in place are entitled to reasonable compensation.
“It’s a big issue all over the state, all over the country,” Langenfeld said. “Police officers have tough jobs, and they ought to be paid for all the hours they work, just like everybody else.”
Schaefer began working for the Police Department as an hourly employee in December 2010, according to the lawsuit.
Langenfeld said he worked under former Police Chief Chuck Hooker and current Chief Jessica Robledo, who began heading the department in January 2017.
Langenfeld said he and Schaefer are willing to discuss proper compensation outside of court.
According to the city website, officers have kennels at their homes to take care of K-9 partners while off-duty. The Police Department has three narcotics detection K-9s, according to a city news release.