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

What the ordinance charges

What the officer's time costs: traffic control, parades/events, movie/TV sets $90/hour; store/building security $50/hour; nonprofit/civic/tax-exempt $50/hour; supervising officer fee $10/hour; administrative fee $15/officer/hour Minimum per job: 4 hours Hours: officer may not provide services beyond hours specified in the approved request

The car, and what it costs

The vehicle is priced separately: $20 per hour

Whether the car may go at all: with approval.

In the ordinance's own words: “Vehicle Fee - $20 per hour added to the applicable fee.”

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

How the work is arranged

Who approves it: Public Safety Director or designee How a job is arranged: Public Safety Director/designee approves estimated hours; requesting entity funds the Off-Duty Employment Escrow Account before posting. City may use a third-party administrator for scheduling, billing and collections. How the officer is paid: employer funds City escrow; City pays officers biweekly with deductions What is barred: assignments may be terminated when they create unacceptable risk to officer/public health, safety or welfare; detailed Police Division rules are incorporated by reference

Vehicles

Set by Newark'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 per hour

Every agency here, side by side on vehicles →

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Common questions

What does an off-duty Newark police officer cost?

traffic control, parades/events, movie/TV sets $90/hour; store/building security $50/hour; nonprofit/civic/tax-exempt $50/hour; supervising officer fee $10/hour; administrative fee $15/officer/hour

Does Newark charge for the police vehicle?

$20 per hour

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.