Highland Park 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 Highland Park's own ordinance, and it says what the town charges.

What the ordinance charges

What the officer's time costs: for-profit up to $85/hour; nonprofit $65/hour; 15% per-hour administrative fee Minimum per job: two-hour cancellation minimum where contractor fails to cancel at least 12 hours in advance

The car, and what it costs

The vehicle is priced separately: $20/hour; $50 minimum; $100 maximum

Whether the car may go at all: with approval.

In the ordinance's own words: “the fee charged for use within the Borough is $20 per hour with a minimum of $50, but not to exceed $100.”

66 of the 141 New Jersey towns here price the car by the hour, from $5 to $60. Highland Park sits above the middle of them at $20, with 34 charging less.

How the work is arranged

Who approves it: Chief of Police How a job is arranged: prospective contractor/entity applies to Chief; Borough CFO escrow is funded before work; requests generally due by 1600 the preceding day How the officer is paid: Borough escrow account is dedicated to payment of off-duty officers

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 may be worn, any weekly hour cap or 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 Highland Park'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.

• $20/hour; $50 minimum; $100 maximum

Every agency here, side by side on vehicles →

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Common questions

What does an off-duty Highland Park police officer cost?

for-profit up to $85/hour; nonprofit $65/hour; 15% per-hour administrative fee

Does Highland Park charge for the police vehicle?

$20/hour; $50 minimum; $100 maximum

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.