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  • Last week, an off-duty St. Louis police officer shot and killed an 18 year old male. This

  • is in

  • the wake of the Michael Brown shooting that happened two months ago, and it brings up

  • yet

  • another important question: Exactly what powers do off-duty police officers actually have?

  • The rules vary between police departments, and theyre actually more guidelines than

  • they are

  • rules. But there is one hard and fast law covering the rights of off-duty police officers.

  • The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004 allows active and retired police officers

  • who

  • served for at least ten years, to legally carry concealed weapons at all times, regardless

  • of

  • jurisdiction, or local and state laws. But there are a few restrictions. Officers can’t

  • be in a Gun- Free School Zone, they can’t be under the

  • influence of drugs or alcohol, and they can’t be under

  • disciplinary action. They also can’t carry a weapon if they were forced to leave the

  • department

  • due to mental instability.

  • That’s it. That’s the only codified law specific for off-duty Police Officers. But

  • there are a lot of

  • commonly accepted guidelines that most departments follow. Most of them allow their officers

  • to

  • moonlightor take second jobs, even allowing them to wear their uniforms while

  • doing security

  • work. But there are limits. Officers who want to work a second job do so with permission

  • from

  • their department. And some departments don’t allow certain types of jobs, like bartending

  • or

  • stripping.

  • Most off-duty officers are allowed to make an arrest or question a citizen, but in order

  • to do so

  • - they have to present proper identification and follow all current police rules - which

  • of course

  • has its limits. Off-duty officers cannot use their powers to resolve personal grievances.

  • For

  • example, if the neighbor of an off-duty officer is playing their music too loud, that officer

  • cannot

  • go next door and issue a noise citation. This is according the International Association

  • of Chiefs

  • of Police.

  • Police are also advised against using their powers to fight minor crimes, like parking

  • or traffic

  • violations. They also shouldn’t pull anyone over while in an unmarked vehicle, except

  • in extreme

  • circumstances. For example, some off-duty officers will stop an obviously drunk driver.

  • On the whole though, most police departments caution against officers doing police work

  • while

  • off-duty, mainly to protect the city from liability lawsuits. If an off-duty officer

  • does something

  • illegal or unethical after identifying himself as a member of the department, the city he

  • works for

  • could be held accountable. Which is why many cities, like Philadelphia, suggest that if

  • an off- duty officer sees a crime, they should simply

  • call 911.

  • If you’d like to watch another episode on police in the United States, check out our

  • video on a

  • new strategy that one department is using to end police brutality.

Last week, an off-duty St. Louis police officer shot and killed an 18 year old male. This

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B1 中級 美國腔

休班警察有多大權力? (How Much Power Do Off-Duty Police Officers Have?)

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    黃柏堯 發佈於 2021 年 01 月 14 日
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