I’m confused about policemen working traffic details outside the driveways of large corporations.
I’m told these companies pay for the details to be there, to help their employees get in and out. In many cases, the officers working the details are full-time policemen getting a little extra pay, and the detail isn’t during their regular work day. Presumably, these officers have all the authority and responsibilities of at least an off-duty police person.
If this is all true, what other police services can one pay for?
If I think people drive too fast down my street, can I pay a cop to set up a speed trap?
If I think a neighbor may be doing something illegal, and there isn’t enough evidence to attract official police scrutiny, can I pay a cop to investigate on his own?
How about, can I pay lots of police to not be in a particular place at a particular time? Nah. I wouldn’t want to do that.
I’d like a police escort for when I have to drive during traffic jams and bad rush hours. I’d like some spare cop cars behind me so that anybody who cuts me off or runs a red light in front of me will be immediately pulled over for my enjoyment.
Police officers make overtime pay one of two ways: There’s a huge friggin’ crime wave that keeps them on the job, or they get hired for private gigs. If you’re throwing a huge concert and want to avoid repeating the unpleasantness of, say, Altamont, hiring some off-duty cops to keep an eye on things is an economically viable alternative. (You can also hire a private security firm, some of whom are quite good. But if you hire an actual cop, he brings his badge and police powers with him. An off-duty cop has the same privileges and responsibilities as an on-duty one, which is why many big cities require their officers to maintain a residence in the city.)
A lot of liquor stores hire off-duty cops to do security for them. It’s easy money for the cop, and nothing says “Don’t rob me” like having a uniformed policeman on the premisis.
You want to hire an off-duty cop for some reason? Hey, they’ll be glad to talk to you about it . they want the OT as much as anyone else. Just keep your stash bag discreetly hidden. If you flagrantly violate the law in view of the cop you hired, he’ll be obligated to arrest you. Maybe a private security firm would be the way to go…
I would bet that the answer to ANY of the above questions depends on where you live.
I’m certain that having cops harass people who cut you off in traffic isn’t gonna’ happen in most US jurisdictions. But I’m equally certain that in SOME impoverished jurisdiction somewhere in the world, it would happen for enough money.
See Here. YMMV
You’re not really hiring a cop doing freelance off-duty work. You’re contracting the city/county to provide security/traffic control, etc. The city/county then sends over a uniformed officer.
As far as your questions go. I’m sure you could pay for a speedtrap in your neighborhood provided the streets are public and/or traffic laws are enforceable there. But at $20 something an hour, for a couple of cops for a couple hours. You would be better off just complaining to the city and having them come out for free.
Investigative work? Private traffic dogs? I doubt it.
My first line might not be that clear. You pay the department, and after they approve the assignment, they pay the off-duty officer.
Again, it might be different in your area, but if people were able to just randomly pay freelance off-duty officers for Police work, serious conflict of interest issues could arise.
I had my doubts about having a cop work for you personally being a good idea… and Bear_Nenno says in some places you can hire the department. That makes a bit more sense. If the former were true you’d think it’d cause more problems than not; I’m imagining something like:
Bad guy’s lawyer:Nangleator’s rent-a-cop broke my client’s car window and is responsible for him getting a glass chip in his eye when he didn’t drive into the parking spot pointed out by rent-a-cop. We’re gonna sue you for damages, medical bills, pain and suffering for a now 1/2 blind man, and having both you and your rent-a-cop charged with assault Nangleator. Nangleator: Can’t sue me, my rent-a-cop is a real cop and works for the city police department - the city allows him to do that stuff and will stick up for him. City PD: We never assigned rent-a-cop to that job, nor was he on-duty, nor did we pay him a cent. Our policy is to not enforce laws in parking lots. He was acting under Nangleator’s authority. Bad guy’s lawyer: Oh really…hahahaha! - bend over Nangleator, yer gonna pay bigtime fer this…
I’m pretty sure Bear has the answer as I have worked in many hotels and we always “contracted” off duty officers. We “Technically” pay the town and they pay the cop. Of course the cop got the money from the till at the end of the shift. But we backed worked the books to make it legit.
I’m told by cops in I know that they are paid directly by the companies that hire them, but the department has to approve the job. This is in Houston, by the way.
I’ve seen that done as well. McDonald’s, I think, even pays the officer with a regular McDonald’s paycheck… Places like Hooters pay cash.
For every $20 an hour the cop gets, McDonalds pays the city $2 an hour. So they’re forking out $22/HR.
So I guess at that point, it becomes semantics. They’re allowed to pay the officer directly, but they are still getting him from the government, the government still has to approve it, and the government still gets their cut.
And that’s a set rate too. So cops can’t go around competing and outbidding each other. When the Superbowl was in town a couple years ago, the NFL offered to pay the cops like $50 an hour or something high like that. The Sheriff declined and said he would provide deputies for the same amount they always charge. The cops could have made a lot more money that weekend.
I can’t speak for anywhere else, but here’s how we work. If you want a cop to work for you, there are two different ways.
Hire an off-duty police officer. This is for your wedding or private party or function. They will be in plainclothes and generally acting as armed security. For the police department, this is just a side job, like working at Best Buy or being a plumber. These are gigs you find yourself as a cop. The NYPD wants no responsibility for this.
If you are Best Buy or Madison Square Garden or Columbia University and you want NYPD uniformed protection for one day or every day, you have to ask the NYPD. We have a Paid Detail unit and you tell them how many cops you want and when you need them. The cop calls Paid Detail at the beginning of the week and finds out what places he can work at that week, You are in full uniform and “on-duty” and therefore required to take police action. However the city is not required to indemnify you if something goes wrong. With this, the company pays you $25 an hour and the city takes 3 for setting it up. You get a check from the company direct.