Secondary Employment Information

Responsibilities

The Durham Police Department has off-duty officers available for hire through a secondary employment program. These officers can work to control crowds or traffic, prevent crime or protect your business from robberies and shoplifting.

Program Information

What Do I Get When Hiring an Off-duty Durham Police Officer?

• State-certified, experienced and fully trained Law Enforcement (LE) Officer who is authorized to:
  • Enforce North Carolina State Laws and Durham City Ordinances
  • Direct traffic and perform other duties related to his / her position as a LE Officer
  • Wear his / her full police duty uniform with duty equipment (firearm, radio, etc)
  • Provide a visible, uniformed security presence
• On some occasions, a Police Department vehicle may be available for the off-duty officer’s use
• Limited Workman’s Compensation and Civil Liability - The City of Durham covers off-duty officers when the incident or injury is directly related to the arrest of subject for a violation of criminal law or the officer is engaged in another duty that is unique to the law enforcement profession

Guidelines

• Any cancellation/rescheduling of your event needs to be communicated to the Secondary Employment Coordinator 72 hours prior to the event date at 919-560-4528. Failure to notify can result in minimum three hour payment to each officer assigned and suspension of secondary employment request privileges.
• Regular assignments are billed at minimum $35 per officer per hour and minimum $40 per supervisor per hour. Those requesting can choose to pay any rate as long as it meets the minimum rate previously stated above.
• The rate is minimum $45 per officer per hour on City holidays.
• Emergency or last-minute assignments may incur a higher rate (normally, any requests received within 48 hours of the start time for the off-duty assignment will incur a $45 per hour rate)
• The Durham Police Department may require that a minimum number of officers be hired to perform a certain off-duty job function. Some examples of factors that may affect the number of officers needed for various events are the presence of large crowds or the use / availability of alcohol. For large numbers of officers (more than 4 officers) hired for a single event, supervisors are required to be hired as well at a pay rate higher than the standard hourly rate (normally about $5 more per hour than the standard hourly rate)
• There is a minimum of 3 hours paid for any assignment, no matter how long it actually takes
• All job requests will be reviewed by the secondary employment coordinator on a case-by-case basis. Some jobs may be of such a nature that Durham police officers will not be permitted to work (such as “private investigator” activities, plain clothes requests, etc.)

Additional Information

Certain other regulations and rules apply. For information contact the secondary employment coordinator for the Durham Police Department.