Minneapolis considers charging fees for hiring off-duty police

Anyone who hires off-duty Minneapolis police officers for security work would owe the city money, if some city council members have their way.

Why it matters: The proposal could undermine what's long been a lucrative perk for officers working demanding jobs — but also a controversial practice , which Chief Brian O'Hara has labeled "ripe for corruption."

How it works: Off-duty MPD officers can moonlight anywhere from a grocery store to a nightclub to a Vikings game . These assignments sometimes pay as much as $175 per hour, well above their on-duty overtime rate.

• Unlike in some other big-city agencies , MPD officers can keep all their earnings from off-duty work, even though they're in full uniform and often in department squad cars running on city-bought gas.

Driving the news: This week, council members Elliott Payne and Robin Wonsley announced plans to bring legislation that would allow the city to collect fees from off-duty customers for the use of its squad cars and equipment.

• The proposal does not give specifics, but the city estimates an off-duty squad car costs $19/hour.

What they're saying: At a press conference, Wonsley drew an analogy to a city streets worker, saying they "cannot simply take city trucks and go fill potholes after hours, and get paid in cash for it."

• "But that's exactly what our MPD officers do."

The other side: Many businesses believe off-duty officers are more effective at deterring crime, and responding effectively in an emergency, than private security guards.

• Their presence also arguably relieves strain on on-duty officers, a city audit noted .

Friction point: MPD's handling of off-duty assignments was even flagged in the U.S. Department of Justice investigation triggered by George Floyd's murder.

• With no centralized system for divvying up off-duty assignments, lower-ranking officers are often referring their bosses to freelance work — a powerful disincentive for a supervisor to reprimand a subordinate, the DOJ concluded .

The intrigue: Charging new fees amounts to "nibbling at the edges" of the off-duty issue, Council Member Linea Palmisano said in a committee meeting this week. A more complete solution would involve centralizing off-duty assignments, she said.

• Yes, but: That would require revisiting a 1997 settlement with the police union which limits the city's control over off-duty work.

What's next: The council will vote later this week on a related item that would order a new study to explore what fee the city should charge.