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

What the ordinance charges

What the officer's time costs: regular construction $90/hour; state-funded Borough construction $90/hour; non-state-funded Borough construction $55/hour; residential/charitable/school $45/hour Hours: work may not interfere with regular or emergency Borough duty

The car, and what it costs

The vehicle is priced separately: $30 per hour per vehicle

Whether the car may go at all: with approval.

In the ordinance's own words: “such vehicles will be billed at a charge of $30 per hour for each vehicle used.”

66 of the 141 New Jersey towns here price the car by the hour, from $5 to $60. Ridgefield sits above the middle of them at $30, with 55 charging less.

How the work is arranged

Who approves it: Chief of Police or designee How a job is arranged: employer requests Department approval; after Chief/designee approval, request is forwarded to PBA Local 330 for officer assignment How the officer is paid: PBA initiates billing to employer for officer earnings What is barred: Chief/designee may deny work inconsistent with efficient Department functioning/good reputation or posing unreasonable officer danger

Vehicles

Set by Ridgefield'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.

• $30 per hour per vehicle

Every agency here, side by side on vehicles →

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Common questions

What does an off-duty Ridgefield police officer cost?

regular construction $90/hour; state-funded Borough construction $90/hour; non-state-funded Borough construction $55/hour; residential/charitable/school $45/hour

Does Ridgefield charge for the police vehicle?

$30 per hour per vehicle

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.