Even though the officers might be working for private employers, the city will still process the payments and oversee the amounts. Off-duty officers will be paid out of a trust fund that will be established by the city, known as the "Off-Duty Employment Trust Account." It will be funded by the private employers retaining the off-duty officers.
The council tabled a similar ordinance in February 2006. That ordinance was proposed by former Police Chief Robert Troy, who said he wanted to ensure that the Police Department complied with guidelines set by the state Attorney General's Office.
At that time, officers had a number of questions about the hourly rates, and about a provision in that specified that officers would cede $5 per hour of off-duty work to the city to cover the city's administrative costs and expenses.
The current ordinance was introduced at a June meeting, but the council delayed its final approval until the Sept. 11 council meeting.City oversees it
The ordinance stipulates that officers "shall be permitted to accept police-related employment for private employers" and "only during off-duty hours," for which they must to obtain approval from the chief of police.
Any request for off-duty officers for service of one week or longer has to be forwarded to the chief 10 days in advance. Requests for less than a week of service have to be made 24 hours prior.
And as in the previous incarnation of this ordinance, officers will cede $5 per hour to the city. Fee schedule
Off-duty police officers who provide security at construction sites between the hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. can earn $35 per hour with an additional $10 per hour earned after 4 p.m. Weekend and holiday work is time-and-a-half.
Officers working at malls would earn $35 per hour with no overtime after-hours, weekends, and holidays.
Single stores and various non-profit and civic organizations will pay officers $25 per hour without any overtime.
Festivals and parades are $50 per hour. Working at movie sets is $45 per hour with $10 more per hour after 4 p.m. Officers working off-duty outside an establishment licensed to serve liquor are paid $50 per hour. For comments on this story, contact Ricardo Kaulessar at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com. Sidebar Sottolano wants to set record straight
Last week, City Councilman Michael Sottolano was not a happy man.
Sottolano took issue with an article in the Sept. 16 issue of the Jersey City Reporter, "Fulop's ethics measure is not dead."
The article reported on a resolution City Councilman Steven Fulop had drafted that bans holding more than one public office or multiple salaried and appointed public positions within Hudson County - whether elected or appointed. The legislation would also bar a public official from using a city automobile for personal use, and ban city officials from lobbying the city or city agencies for three years after they leave office.
The council voted down the resolution at their Sept. 11 meeting by a 6-1 vote with one abstention.
The article mentioned that Sottolano receives a pension for his former job as a city employee. However, it did not mention that he had worked for 37 years for the city.
Sottolano said he received two calls from readers who wondered why he was getting a pension when he is currently working as a City Councilman. He faulted the article for creating the perception that his pension is being increased by working on the City Council.
"I received a pension for working for the city. It has nothing to do with this bill and shouldn't even have been mentioned in the article," Sottolano said.
While Sottolano was one of the six council members who voted down the resolution, he said he agreed in principle with Fulop's legislation. However, he said it should be the state that sets the ethics standard that Fulop is proposing for the municipality. - RK
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