Gawker - The term "secondary police officer" peppered headlines with ease as news of [the Vonderrit] Myers' killing broke. The shadowy practice it describes, however, is fairly obscure.
In essence, secondary policing is the practice by which municipalities allow their active officers to moonlight as private security during off hours. Officers are generally allowed to wear their official uniforms, carry the weapons issued to them by their municipalities and maintain all the powers of an active, on-duty police officer. They can search, seize, arrest and use deadly force but they execute those powers partly under the direction of a private entity. It's renting a cop—literally. And for renting out officers, many police departments earn sizable commissions.
According to one expert, secondary employment is "so ingrained in the law enforcement profession that in some states, by law, police agencies cannot prohibit it." In fact, 83 percent of all the nation's police departments have written policies for secondary employment, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Demand for security services is high and municipalities—many struggling with reduced budgets—have a supply of trained, available personnel. Not to mention cops could use the extra money.
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