Clout KILLS the LAWSUIT - Chicago Police officers lose BlackBerry overtime lawsuit

PHOTO: Chicago police Sgt. Jeffrey Allen, seen in July 2015, filed a lawsuit alleging members of the Bureau of Organized Crime were expected to monitor and respond to their BlackBerrys while off-duty but were not expected to be paid for that work. On Dec. 10, 2015, a federal judge ruled against the suit. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

A federal judge ruled against a group of Chicago police officers who claimed unwritten rules discouraged them from filing for overtime for off-duty work performed on their BlackBerrys.

In a 38-page opinion filed Thursday evening, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney Schenkier said the city has an established procedure for filing overtime and did nothing to prevent officers from using it.

The class-action lawsuit, brought by Sgt. Jeffrey Allen in May 2010, includes 51 current and former members of the Bureau of Organized Crime who said they were expected to monitor and respond to calls and messages on their department-issued BlackBerrys while off-duty but were not expected to be paid for that work. It went to a bench trial in August.

The case hinged on whether the Chicago Police Department had an "unwritten policy" that kept members of the prestigious bureau from filing for overtime pay for off-duty work on their BlackBerrys.

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