Committee says no to off-duty cop plan

An off-duty police officer program that would allow Grafton officers to work security at private businesses or events will likely not come to fruition after village trustees expressed reservations about officers working outside of their village function. 

Police Chief Jeff Caponera sought approval from the Finance Committee Oct. 4 to allow officers the option to contract off-duty work through a third-party entity called Off-Duty Management. 

Through the contracts, officers could earn hourly wages for working events like weddings, birthday parties and concerts or for other businesses or organizations seeking security, without using overtime pay through the village. 

The Finance Committee failed to pass a motion to recommend approval of the request  after tabling action on the decision Sept. 20. 

With officers already working non-village-sponsored events such as Giro d’ Grafton and the Kapco concert series, Caponera said, allowing officers to work such events through a third party would eliminate liability issues, decrease overtime expenses and offer an additional service to businesses and residents who are in need of security. 

“It significantly reduces our liability for our officers when they’re working in an off-duty capacity,” he said. 

While reimbursement is often sought for overtime expenses from off-duty officers for special events, reimbursement does not account for office expenses associated with coordinating overtime and officer benefits such as medical or vehicle usage. 

According to village documents, in 2018, officers worked 156.25 hours of overtime at special events. In 2019, overtime hours were 165.25.

In 2020, there were no hours tracked because of pandemic restrictions. In 2021, officers have worked 58.5 hours of overtime for special events. 

Caponera said that officers employed in an off-duty capacity would work under a strict set of policies established by the village and police department. In the event an illegal activity occurred, he noted, off-duty officers would be able to switch roles and operate as police officers. 

He said that the partnership with Off-Duty Management would not serve as a means for officers to increase their overtime or unnecessarily charge private businesses or nonprofit groups that may use the service. 

“This program is designed to reduce liability, decrease our overtime and help fulfill the needs of our businesses and residents who wish to hire an officer,” he said. 

While ODM partners with other law enforcement entities throughout the United States, there have been no off-duty partnerships of this kind in Wisconsin, a fact that did not sit well with Village President Jim Brunnquell. 

“The only thing I am concerned about is that we haven’t seen this type of program in the state yet,” he said. 

Brunnquell added that while the off-duty programs may work well elsewhere, he is unsure how it would work under Wisconsin laws and regulations. 

Trustee Lisa Harbeck said she did not like the idea of working through a third-party group over which the village would have little control. 

Caponera said the village would be able to cease operations with ODM at any time, but Harbeck said she is unsure about a relationship with the company. 

“I’m just not a fan of this. I don’t think we need it,” she said

A motion to recommend the Village Board approve Caponera’s request failed on a tie vote among the four-member committee, which includes Brunnquell and trustees Harbeck, Tom Krueger and Dave Antoine.