Process Outlines Extra Duty Work For Police Officers

SALISBURY – A process has been outlined in authorizing Salisbury police officers to provide security to private businesses.

The resolution on the table was to approving a secondary and extra duty employment for the Salisbury Police Department (SPD) personnel and authorizing the police chief to enter into contracts which allow police officers to provide either uniform or non-uniform law enforcement services to private businesses and to also allow officers and civilian personnel to work non-law enforcement, non-contractual secondary employment.

Council President Terry Cohen explained that Police Chief Barbara Duncan has been approving such cases one-by-one, the first agreement being with the Centre of Salisbury, and as other requests were made, such as by Wal-Mart during the holiday season last year, confusion arose on how the procedure would be implemented.

According to Administrative Commander Major David Nleienscliein, for many months the officers of the SPD have been working extra duty assignments at the Centre at Salisbury. A contract was drawn up by the city attorney and approved by the council authorizing this employment of the officers.

According to the resolution, the police department has created a policy and standard contract which outlines the conditions of all extra duty and secondary employment for sworn and non-sworn personnel.

“Extra Duty" is defined as contractual employment of sworn police officers authorized to perform uniform or non-uniform law enforcement services for private businesses and within the authority of the Police Department; and "Secondary Employment" is defined as non-contractual, non- law enforcement and non-uniformed employment of sworn or non-sworn employees working outside of the authority and not related to the Police Department.

The goal of this policy and standard contract is to streamline the process to monitor and evaluate secondary and extra duty work assignments and no costs will be incurred by the police department or the city of Salisbury.

“I would like to thank the chief for moving this along and institutionalizing as a policy so that it will be more streamlined and easier to implement,” Council Vice President Deborah Campbell said. “It is certainly a benefit for our business community and for our sworn officers.”