New guidelines call for officers to be paid through township payroll.
By: Scott Morgan
PLUMSTED The Township Committee adopted new guidelines Monday requiring off-duty police officers be paid through the township’s payroll.
In the past, off-duty police officers throughout the state were often paid by the hiring entity. Mayor Ron Dancer said that type of arrangement frequently led to situations in which officers received no health or death benefits when performing off-duty activities.
After a series of lawsuits, the state Department of Community Affairs, together with county prosecutors and municipal police chiefs, constructed a model ordinance that would be required of all local departments within the state, Mayor Dancer said.
The resolution, adopted Monday, amends the township’s previous practices by requiring hiring entities wishing to use township officers to forward an estimate to Public Safety Director Pete Weinrich, the mayor said. That money then goes into an escrow account out of which the officer will be paid, in addition to his regular pay, he said. The money needs to be in place before the officer is committed to off-duty activities.
The reason behind the actions, Mayor Dancer said, is to keep officers on the township payroll, thus allowing them to retain 100 percent of their insurance coverage at all times.
The resolution also set the standard rate of pay for off-duty officers. For hiring entities from within Plumsted Township, off-duty officers will cost $30 per hour. For hiring entities outside the township, the cost will be $35 per hour. There also will be a $6 per hour administrative charge, which goes directly to the township to cover the costs of officers’ insurance and benefits, Mayor Dancer said.