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Cops may have to curtail moonlighting Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell As a side job, Medford police officer Chuck Steinberg paints portraits, some of which are now hanging on the walls of C.K. Tiffin's restaurant in Medford. He also draws composite sketches for police investigations. By MELISSA MARTIN Mail Tribune Medford officers may no longer be able to moonlight as off-duty security guards if the police department re-writes rules to satisfy accreditation standards. Cops could no longer take a security job at the Professional Bowling Association tournament or at the Jackson County Fair, for example, under the proposed new policy. "People have a lot of different talents and skills and we're not trying to take income away, but trying to find alternative ways of outside employment," said Sgt. Steve Johnson, who is in charge of the department's professional standards. Officers earn plenty of OT Medford officers have many opportunities to earn overtime on their days off, police administrators say. Assignments such as attending football games at Spiegelberg Stadium are posted on a bulletin board at the police department, said Lt. Mike Moran. The Medford School District contracts with the city for police protection at the 6,000-seat stadium. Other jobs are posted too, such as last year's opportunity to guard a stock broker who had received threats. "Businesses benefit from having an on-duty officer in uniform," Moran said. There are also opportunities through state grants that pay overtime for special projects, said Steve Johnson, sergeant of professional standards. Police officers can spend their day off writing tickets for seat belt or driving under the influence violations. "As a department, we want to create some of this income opportunity for officers by turning it into an on-duty situation," Johnson said. Businesses that have been hiring off-duty officers for $15 an hour may want to start paying the Medford Police Department the $50 an hour it costs for wages and benefits to have a uniformed officer, administrators say. "That benefits the business because the officer is covered by the city's insurance," Johnson said. One option would allow a business to pay the department an hourly rate to cover the officer's salary and benefits, and have the officer work in uniform as if he were on duty, Johnson said. But the hourly expense would be significantly higher - $50 per hour instead of about $15. Johnson is guiding the Medford Police Department through the lengthy and painstaking process of becoming a member of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. Similar to what a school or college might go through, police accreditation often results in lower insurance premiums for police departments. Police officers have expressed concern about losing the right to work as security guards while off duty, but no one contacted for this story was willing to talk about it on the record. "We'll wait and see whether the policy changes," one officer said. Medford may change its policy about free-lancing so the city can avoid off-duty injuries to officers, Johnson said. "This decreases liability and (worker's compensation) issues for officers if they get hurt on their day off," Johnson said. Outside employment is allowed for the 116 police employees represented by Teamsters Local No. 223, said Wayne Botta, labor representative. Medford police employees and the city recently signed a three-year contract through June 30, 2004. "We've developed a good working relationship with the city of Medford," Botta said. "Whenever an issue comes up, we're willing to sit down and talk about it. "It is a bargaining issue and like any issue that comes mid-contract, we're always willing to talk, but it doesn't mean we're willing to reopen the contract." It's not uncommon for people with round-the-clock schedules and consecutive days off to have outside employment, Botta said. Most Medford patrol officers work three 12-hour days followed by four days off, with court and training days making up the rest of their 40-hour weeks. "People with more blocks of free time, such as firefighters, a lot of times are entrepreneurs with outside interests," Botta said. "The key is that it doesn't conflict with their job." A side business became too time-demanding for Chuck Steinberg, a Medford police officer for 20 years and a portrait artist who used to have studios in Jacksonville and Ashland. "It was hard to keep the studios open, plus with raising kids," Steinberg said. "Now it's a hobby and I just paint out of my home for extra money." Besides their regular duties, patrol officers have to juggle court schedules - they may be called to testify on their day off, Steinberg said. They even have to fill out vacation request forms so the courts know they won't be available on certain days. "There isn't a whole lot of extra time," he said. Yet many officers devote their days off to earning money for college tuition or to support a single-income family. There are Medford police officers with security jobs at Rogue Valley Medical Center, the Jackson County Fair and Bear Creek Corp. Moonlighting cops don't take jobs away from security companies, according to Kent Gottfried, owner of Jackson County Protection for the past nine years. He has hired off-duty police officers for special events, to protect construction sites or for shoplifting prevention. And some of his employees have gone on to become police officers. Some businesses don't want to hire security companies for special events. Three off-duty Medford police officers stood guard over the PBA tournament that drew more 119 professional bowlers and 600 to 1,000 spectators daily over the six-day event held at Lava Lanes in Medford earlier this month. "We needed security that would be very professional, no rookies," said Randy Cochran, corporate resource manager for Lava Lanes. "We wanted people with experience and clout." Reach reporter Melissa Martin at 776-4497, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.