Photo by Mike Wolanin | The Republic A Columbus Police Department squad vehicle with new updated vehicle wrap.
The Columbus Police Department is planning to partner with an outside company to manage officers’ extra-duty work.
Chief Michael Richardson discussed the change during Tuesday’s Columbus Board of Works meeting. The board then approved an update to CPD General Order 22, which covers the department’s personnel management system.
Part of this update clarifies procedure for officers who are injured and unable to work the street, as far as what paperwork needs to be filled out and when, said Richardson.
“We are looking at using an off-duty management system to take care of our off-duty work,” he added. “The sheriff’s department has been using this company for a year, a year and a half now. No issues, it’s successful. So we’re wanting to transfer, so everything will go through an off-duty management company for any off-duty work for our officers.”
CPD spokesman Lt. Matt Harris said the name of the company is Off-Duty Management. The business offers “a fully customizable, centrally administered no-cost solution that manages all aspects of off-duty programs and keeps agencies in full control mitigating risk and liability,” according to its website.
Off-Duty Management’s services are free to law enforcement agencies. Extra-duty employers typically pay a small administrative fee in addition to an officer’s hourly rate.
Harris clarified that the company will manage CPD’s extra-duty work, rather than off-duty work. Per General Order 22, the department defines extra-duty employment as any service provided that “is conditioned on the actual or potential use of law enforcement powers.”
For instance, Richardson said that officers sometimes work security at weddings and other events. In such instances, they work for (and are paid by) a third party other than the city.
Off-duty work, on the other hand, is any service that does not require the use of law enforcement powers.
Off-Duty Management will handle scheduling and payment for extra-duty work, said Richardson, as well as insurance if an officer is injured.
“But their duties to the city still are number one,” said city attorney Alan Whitted. “If you have an emergency and need to call folks in … they’d have to respond.”
Richardson agreed, saying that if there was a major incident, police officers would be required to leave their extra-duty job and return to being on-duty for the department.
The updated general order also states that officers can work no more than 17 hours within a 24-hour period under the extra-duty system.
“We obviously don’t want an officer working the full shift and then go work two shifts off-duty or vice versa,” said Richardson.
Work outside the police department has been a source of controversy in recent years. In 2020, former CPD officers Dan Meister and Ron May received suspended sentences by a special judge after being accused of working a second job providing security at Columbus Regional Hospital while clocked in as city police officers.
The two officers were placed under supervised probation until it could be verified that they had paid all restitution, court costs and fines. Columbus Regional Health has since created its own police department within the hospital for security.
Other similar investigations have not resulted in prosecution. In January of 2022, special prosecutors declined to file charges against 17 Columbus police officers and former police chief Jon Rohde in regards to discrepancies between hours worked for the city and outside employers. Their investigative reports cited sloppy recordkeeping at the department and a lack of evidence to support allegations of official misconduct and ghost employment.
