A Minneapolis City Council committee unanimously passed a proposed ordinance that would allow the city to recoup some funds from officers’ off-duty police work.
Due to a court case from the mid-1990s, Minneapolis police officers are allowed to work off-duty, which usually entails officers doing private security work for businesses and outside groups including bars, banks and construction sites. The officers are paid by the outside organizations, but they can use city weapons, squad cars and uniforms during their work, and they are under city liability.
The ordinance, authored by Council Members Robin Wonsley and Elliott Payne, would allow the city to collect fees for officers doing this work. The Minneapolis Police Department says “the specific methods for establishing and collecting fees, and determining payment responsibility, are still under consideration.”…