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

What the ordinance charges

What the officer's time costs: $125/hour beginning 2026-01-01; $10/hour administrative fee; $5/hour payment to Rutherford PBA beginning 2026-01-01

The car, and what it costs

The vehicle is priced separately: $200 per day

Whether the car may go at all: provided.

In the ordinance's own words: “Daily rate for a police car: $200 per day.”

13 of these towns price the car by the day instead, from $40 to $200. Rutherford's $200 is above the middle of that group.

How the work is arranged

Who approves it: Police Department administers extra-duty services How a job is arranged: Police Department and Finance Department or third-party administrator provide written itemized estimate before services How the officer is paid: prepaid by private entity/person through Borough process

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, 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 Rutherford'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.

• $200 per day

Every agency here, side by side on vehicles →

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Common questions

What does an off-duty Rutherford police officer cost?

$125/hour beginning 2026-01-01; $10/hour administrative fee; $5/hour payment to Rutherford PBA beginning 2026-01-01

Does Rutherford charge for the police vehicle?

$200 per 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.