Boonton and off-duty police work

Why this is published at all

New Jersey is the only state where you can look up what a patrol car costs on a detail, town by town, and the reason is statutory. The Attorney General and the Division of Local Government Services determined that municipal officers may work off duty for private parties — and state law then requires that the assignment be arranged by contract with the municipality, not with the officer. So the town has to set the price, and it sets it in an ordinance that anyone can read.

So what follows is not a policy manual. It is Boonton's own ordinance, and it says what the town charges.

What the ordinance charges

What the officer's time costs: officer rate agreed by Town and recognized collective bargaining unit; administrative costs include workers' compensation and overhead Hours: authorized hours are specified in written approval

This agency29

Median of the 48682

Largest here33,721

One of 48 city departments here with a traced figure. Each number is what that agency itself publishes, so some are authorized strength and some are actual headcount — useful for scale, not an exact comparison.

The car, and what it costs

The vehicle is priced separately: $100 per day or any portion of a day

Whether the car may go at all: provided.

In the ordinance's own words: “The fee for the use of each police vehicle, if applicable, shall be $100 per day or for any portion of a day.”

13 of these towns price the car by the day instead, from $40 to $200. Boonton's $100 is level with the middle of that group.

How the work is arranged

Who approves it: Chief of Police How a job is arranged: applicant seeks outside detail; Chief approves based on personnel availability and sets written conditions including dates, hours, staffing and termination date; fees paid in full before detail How the officer is paid: fees collected by Boonton Police Department; Township Administrator arranges officer payment on next available payday

What the ordinance does not say

An ordinance sets the terms of the contract between the town and whoever hires the officer. It is not a conduct policy, and this one does not deal with what kinds of employer are off limits.

Those answers, where they exist, sit in the department's own rules and this page has not read them.

Vehicles

Set by Boonton's own ordinance, which is how New Jersey prices off-duty police work — the town contracts with the employer, so the town sets the fee.

• $100 per day or any portion of a day

Every agency here, side by side on vehicles →

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Common questions

What does an off-duty Boonton police officer cost?

officer rate agreed by Town and recognized collective bargaining unit; administrative costs include workers' compensation and overhead

Does Boonton charge for the police vehicle?

$100 per day or any portion of a day

Who arranges an off-duty job in New Jersey?

The municipality. State law requires the assignment to be arranged by contract with the town rather than privately with the officer, which is why the town publishes a rate at all.