Minneapolis City Council allows city to collect fees from off-duty police department work
Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved an ordinance allowing the city to charge officers fees for off-duty work Thursday, according to a news release by the city.
MPD’s off-duty program allows officers to work private jobs on the side while using city cars, uniforms, and materials. The ordinance would allow the city to charge fees to recoup the costs of resources used by officers when working off-duty.
The current program was recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice as “fundamentally inequitable.” and is the first significant reform to the off-duty program in decades, the news release stated.
City officials say an August 2024 analysis conducted by city staff determined a $19/hour fee for the use of a squad car would recover the cost consistent with vehicle use. That fee would have recouped the city up to $1.4 million last year.
Council member Robin Wonsley, the lead author of the ordinance, said, “Residents and experts have been saying for decades that MPD’s off-duty system is ripe for corruption and a bad deal for residents, yet up until now there has been a lack of political will by city leadership to implement significant regulations. Today Council voted to begin the processes of reining in this inequitable and fiscally appalling program.”
Small business owners have raised concerns about the lack of regulation on off-duty work for years, according to the release. City leaders have also spoken publicly about their concerns with off-duty work since 2019 when former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor shot and killed Justine Ruszczyk after working off-duty and starting his on-duty with little sleep.
Council President Elliott Payne, a co-author of the ordinance, said in a statement that it is “good governance, plain and simple.”
“Taxpayers shouldn’t be asked to subsidize private side jobs for police or any city employee. I’m proud that after nearly 30 years of inaction by city leadership, this Council has brought significant accountability and fiscal transparency to what has always been a system ripe for abuse,” Payne said.
MPD will return to the City Council with an updated fee structure in May, according to a news release. Then, the City Council can amend the structure, and fees can start being implemented.