NCJ Number
122221
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 37 Issue: 8 Dated: (August 1989) Pages: 92-94
Date Published
1989
Length
3 pages
Annotation
More and more public police are being employed in private security functions in their off hours; athough this has benefits, it may also create problems.
Abstract
In his study of 11 police departments, ranging in size from the 187-member force in Peoria, Ill., to Boston's 1,950-member force, Albert Reiss, Jr., found three general patterns used by police executives to manage "moonlighting." One model, called "Officer Contract," requires individual officers to find their own off-duty jobs and then seek departmental permission to work the job. In the "Union Brokerage" model, the police union or association finds off-duty jobs, negotiates pay and working conditions, and assigns the jobs to willing officers. The third pattern is the "Departmental Contract" model, under which the department itself contracts with employers, assigns officers, and pays them from fees charged the employers. The benefits of using public police in private security tasks include an expanded police presence and increased income for officers. Some potential problems, however, are conflicts of interest, liability, and the provision of greater police protection for those who have the money to pay for it. Generally, police departments forbid their officers to take off-duty jobs that hold potential conflicts of interest (bill collectors, process servers, and work with regulated businesses), undermine the status or dignity of policing, or involve an unacceptable risk of officer injury.