City of Burlington 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 City of Burlington's own ordinance, and it says what the town charges.

What the ordinance charges

What the officer's time costs: officer rate and administrative fees are set by Common Council resolution; code establishes at least $12.50/hour for required police vehicle use Minimum per job: four-hour minimum for police vehicle use Hours: work may occur only when it will not interfere with regular/emergency duty

The car, and what it costs

The vehicle is priced separately: minimum $12.50 per hour, minimum four hours, with actual fee set by Common Council resolution

Whether the car may go at all: provided.

In the ordinance's own words: “the Police Chief shall impose and charge a fee as set by resolution of the Common Council for the City of Burlington with a minimum of $12.50 per hour, minimum four hours per use for the use of said vehicle”

66 of the 141 New Jersey towns here price the car by the hour, from $5 to $60. City of Burlington sits below the middle of them at $12, with 19 charging less.

How the work is arranged

Who approves it: Chief of Police or authorized designee; Chief retains ultimate authority over officer participation How a job is arranged: Chief establishes assignment procedure; City may use a secondary service provider for scheduling, invoicing, escrow/payment receipt, and administration How the officer is paid: City of Burlington Police Department pays officers from the City-administered extra-duty account after employer payment is received What is barred: officers on medical/disability leave are ineligible; no private police-related employment outside the City's established procedure

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 who carries the liability.

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

Vehicles

Set by City of Burlington'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.

• minimum $12.50 per hour, minimum four hours, with actual fee set by Common Council resolution

Every agency here, side by side on vehicles →

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Common questions

What does an off-duty City of Burlington police officer cost?

officer rate and administrative fees are set by Common Council resolution; code establishes at least $12.50/hour for required police vehicle use

Does City of Burlington charge for the police vehicle?

minimum $12.50 per hour, minimum four hours, with actual fee set by Common Council resolution

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.