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11-29-2012 at 12:16 PM
dmbaf69
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dmbaf69 is not online. Last active: 02-15-2013, 5:31 PMNewbie

Any Pregnant Police Officers?

I am currently dealing with some discrimination issues at my department. If you are or were a police officer, does your department have a "pregnancy policy" in place? I have done a ton of research on the laws pertaining to pregnant women in law enforcement, but we have no policies in place and it's an uphill battle everyday for me with the administration. Any help would be appreciated! If your department has a "pregnancy policy" can you please respond back with the name of your agency or message me so I can do some more research to make my work environment fair. Thank you.

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11-29-2012 at 2:39 PM
aibrean
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Xenia, Oh
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aibrean is not online. Last active: 06-17-2013, 9:46 AMNewbie

There are federal laws in place..

http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/pregnancy.cfm 

http://advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/06CFinalDraft.pdf 


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11-29-2012 at 3:23 PM
Sue&Pasqua...
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Sue&Pasquale is not online. Last active: 06-19-2013, 6:25 AMSilver
our department in MA, our female pregnant officers are put on light duty. Once they give our Chief a note saying they are pregnant they are put on light duty. so assigned to the station, no gun, cant go out on calls, no details.

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11-29-2012 at 3:45 PM
milkergirl...
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I'm a Federal LEO, and my agency is very cautious about pregnant officers.  As soon as we "come out" they are very cautious about what we can and can't do, but nothing is official until the drs. note.  Once I got a note from my dr, I went on light duty; no gun belt, no dangerous work, no work around radiation, etc.  Management did leave it up to me when I went on light duty, and I waited until 17 wks because light duty assignments are very boring and I could still wear the duty belt.  I was working pretty much at a desk job, but was exposed to some gamma radiation.  After speaking to my dr and our agency radiation specialist, I decided that I was not being exposed to enough radiation to be harmful.  But many of my co-workers thought I should have been away from the radiation sooner.  Some pregnant officers here have gone on light duty as soon as 6 wks pg.  I did start to worry that I could be called for overtime to work in a different location that could have involved some physical altercations.  But the worst part was that the duty belt was resting on my bladder...lol.   

In doing research early on, I saw where pregnant officers had filed lawsuits because they were going to be terminated just for being pregnant, but that violations Federal laws. 

http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=832&issue_id=32006

http://thestir.cafemom.com/pregnancy/138378/pregnant_police_officer_forced_to

Here is what our union contract states:

A pregnant employee or an employee returning to work after an injury, illness or pregnancy with a medical certificate indicating that the employee should work restrictively and that full recovery is expected, will be considered for light duty by her supervisor on a case-by-case basis. An assignment to light duty appropriate to the specific medical condition will normally be granted for a temporary period, if such work is available and the assignment will not unduly disrupt work operations.

B.

An employee on light duty will be eligible for assignment to overtime work associated with the light duty assignment, consistent with the organization’s need for such work to be performed on an overtime basis and the medical restrictions placed on the employee.

C.

The assignment of an employee to light duty or the assignment of a light duty employee to overtime under this Section will not be grounds for disputes by other employees in the work unit on the basis that they have had to assume added or burdensome duties.

Good luck with your battle:)


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11-30-2012 at 8:08 PM
kaco414
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kaco414 is not online. Last active: 05-23-2013, 1:23 PMNewbie

I'm a police officer and while we don't have a policy in writing, we kind of have a standing rule that at 20 weeks (sooner if recommended by your doctor or you can't comfortably wear your duty belt) you go on desk duty. Our department has about 90 officers and in the 6 years that I've been here, I'm only the second to get pregnant while on the job and no one can even remember a time before that when it was an issue.Even though I knew it wasn't an issue with the last female officer, I made it a point to talk to HR and our Equal Opportunity Office before talking to my immediate supervisors. I find that any time they sense a gender discrimination conversation looming, they are much more receptive and if they know HR is already involved, it puts a little more heat on your supervisors.

Because we have nothing in writing I was a little worried that my immediate supervisors wouldn't be accommodating but they were surprisingly understanding and said "whatever we did for the last officer we do for you unless you feel like you need further accommodations and in that case, we will work with you and the equal opportunity office to come up with something." I've been thinking of getting something put into writing after my experience since we've gone from about a 10 to 1 ratio males to females to almost 5 to 1 in the last 6 years so obviously, the issue will come up more frequently.

It is just unreasonable for a pregnant officer to be wearing a loaded duty belt (mine is about 13lbs), working crazy hours and being exposed to all of the other hazards that come with the job so I hope they work with you. Whatever your department tells you, I would say you should advocate to have something put in writing for future female officers. Good luck!


 
01-30-2013 at 9:57 AM
NeinerBopp...
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03-12-2013 at 6:48 PM
arjust09
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arjust09 is not online. Last active: 06-18-2013, 10:17 PMNewbie

im fighting this battle right now along with my fop.  my department doesn't have light duty. not even for injured officers.  they want me to take leave without pay until after baby is born.  i can't afford that! my husband lost his job last month and the only way i pay my mortgage now is through a va training program that gives me money for policing as long as i put in 120 hours per month.  

 

i don't know what to do. lawyers are expensive.  i feel so betrayed.  they are being so heartless.  my chief passes the buck to hr and hr passes the buck back to the department and my fop has no say.  i work a lot of 12 hour shift and work night shift so of course im always on foot patrol alone and dealing with the drunks.  oh did i mention we don't carry?  that's a whole other issue we have gone to the media with and will be filling something against the department.  they also always mandatory me to work 16's and on my days off.  i can get no rest and have every pregnancy symptom in the book. 

 

my fop even offered examples of light duty work i could do and they said no.  i don't get it.  they changed the schedule for the entire department, changed our uniforms, bought new cars and radios but they can't add light duty??? really??  im so stressed out.  i have to wait to get an answer now.  it's ridiculous.  i am the first female officer to ever get pregnant at my department.  they really should have figured this out a long time ago.  i've only been there a year.  so frustrated. 

 
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