What Equipment Do Officers Use When Working Off-Duty?
A look at whether or not off-duty police officers are allowed to carry firearms while working off-duty, and other things to consider with hiring officers.
When businesses are looking for professional security options to keep their establishments, customers, and employees safe and secure, the prospect of hiring a uniformed off-duty police officer is often very intriguing. While any amount of security is great, there truly is no better option than a trained, licensed police officer.
RollKall often speaks with small businesses looking for security options and one of the most frequently asked questions about off-duty officers is if they are allowed to carry guns.
In short, yes. While certain cities, states, and counties have differing laws and guidelines for extra-duty employment, the majority of police officers working off-duty are allowed to be in full uniform and carry their service weapons.
Off-duty officers can make arrests, enforce laws, and if absolutely necessary, use their firearms. It goes without saying that both while on-duty and off-duty the goal for cops is to never have to unholster their firearm, but it can provide businesses with peace of mind that an armed guard is onsite and trained to intervene in dangerous situations. They are also at times allowed to use official police vehicles, but often at an additional fee to the business.
With that said, it’s natural for businesses to then have questions surrounding liability. Even though hiring off-duty police provides more legal protections for businesses than civilian security guards, there are still situations where a business can be held financially liable if a situation unfolded involving the officer the business hired. In order to protect themselves and the officer, it’s a good idea for businesses to ensure they have access to General Liability Insurance. Many businesses require any entity providing security has insurance. Off-duty management platforms like RollKall often provide the clients and businesses that law enforcement agencies support with this access to GLI as long as the jobs are scheduled and completed on the platform.
The issue of whether or not off-duty officers are allowed to be armed is just one of many questions that law enforcement agencies receive surrounding the off-duty security industry.
