Blurring the Line between Public and Private Sectors: The Case of Police Officers' Off-Duty Employment

Abstract

While much recent attention has been given to the outsourcing of government services, little is known about the opposite situation in which private organizations retain the services of public workers. Such is the case when off-duty municipal police officers work for private concerns. Police officers have specialized training and law enforcement authority, two commodities in high demand in the private labor market. This analysis seeks to answer three questions about this largely unexplored personnel practice: (1) How much off-duty work is being undertaken? (2) How do departments administer the practice? and (3) What issues and/or conflicts emerge from this blending of public and private spheres. Data were collected through interviews with representatives from the 18 largest police departments in North Carolina and through a review of off-duty policies. The article concludes with suggestions for maximizing the public benefits that accrue when police officers work for private entities.

Multiple Jobholding: An Integrative Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

“…One would expect that working a second or third job would be financially enriching, and some research supports this (Gruen, Anwar, Begum, Killingsworth, & Normand, 2002). Notably, those who work a second job under the table (e.g., police officers paid in cash for security work) may be able to shelter some of their income from taxes (Brunet, 2008), thus further improving their finances. One study found that engaging in self-employment as a second job can increase the probability of higher earnings compared to those holding two jobs when neither is self-employed (Schulz, Urbig, & Procher, 2017).…”

“…Yet, our review demonstrates that there are both disadvantages and advantages to having MJH employees. On the negative side, those who hold multiple jobs for career transition purposes may leave their primary organization (Brunet, 2008), representing a human capital loss. Further, there may be conflicts of interest if MJHers work for competing firms.…”

Plural policing: a State-of-the-Art Review

“…Studies document analyses 16 Brunet (2008) telephone interviews Brunet (2008);Gill (2013) informal field-based interviews Löfstrand Hansen (2015) focus groups Baker (2009) ;Cherney & Chui (2010) workshops Baker (2009) observations Baker (2009) ;Groenendaal & Helsloot (2015); Johnston (2003); Kerr (2012); Kruize & Gruter (2013);Löfstrand Hansen (2015); Noaks (2000Noaks ( , 2004Noaks ( , 2008; Rodas (2011);Sharp et al (2008) surveys Crawford & Lister (2006); Kruize & Gruter (2013); Lee & Yun (2014); Mopasa & Stenning (2001); Noaks (2000Noaks ( , 2004Noaks ( , 2008; Rowland & Coupe (2013) case studies 17 Topping & Byrne (2014) …”

“…In one study, a community warden scheme involving a partnership between local authority and a private security company is used as a case to illustrate the governance of community policing (Johnston, 2003). Other studies are more difficult to categorize given the broad range of topics they cover, such as police officers' off-duty employment by private employers (Brunet, 2008); plural policing of environmental protests, and more specifically the complex coalition of agencies involved in policing these protests, their activities and (formal and informal) cooperation (Button & John, 2002); the impact of civilian policing on the legitimacy of the public police, the extent of public support for civilian policing and their impact upon crime reduction (Sharp et al, 2008); private security policing by ethnic matching (Löfstrand Hansen, 2015); public compliance with private security demands (Mopasa & Stenning, 2001); the role of private sector financial investigative agencies in combating money laundering (Schneider, 2006); the governability and accountability of forensic accounting and corporate investigation industry (Williams, 2005); the legitimate involvement in shadow policing (i.e. non-state, networked policing delivered at grass-roots community levels) (Topping & Byrne, 2014); state-building and the nature and use of plural policing in transitional areas (Janssens, 2015); the evaluation of buitengewoon opsporingsambtenaren (BOA's) in shops, a specific type of surveillants in the Netherlands (Kruize & Gruter, 2013); an evaluation of changes into the BOA system (Mein & Hartmann, 2013); an international comparison of non-public police agents in semi-public spaces (Terpstra et al, 2013b); the benefits of participation in local security networks for the core police tasks (Groenendaal & Helsloot, 2015); the policing function of service providers in skid-row districts (Huey, 2008); a corporate security program operating on a mass private property (Hutchinson & O'Connor, 2005); public distinction between various sorts of uniformed patrolling officers and the effect of patrollers on feelings of safety, security and anxieties (Rowland & Coupe, 2013); an exploration of the future of the police function (van den Berg et al, 2012); and an international comparison of the methods used by private security organisations (Verhage, 2005).…”

Interview with Professor Erik Olin Wright: «When I Began My Work, My Fantasy Was That Marxism Would Once And For All Defeat Sociology» (translated by D. Krylov, G. Loginov)

“…За рубежом по теме экономической деятельности полиции проводились многочисленные эмпирические исследования. В частности изучение дополнительной занятости полиции в США выявило значительный объём официальных подработок, в которые вовлечены 20-90% полицейских в основном относительно невысокого ранга в различных городах США (см., например: [Brunet 2008]). Однако в таких работах речь идёт именно об официальной дополнительной занятости, которая уже более 30 лет регулируется достаточно чёткими и жёсткими профессиональными нормами (см., например: [Peach, Ruckman 1977]…”