Pittsburgh revamps off-duty security detail rules
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh police are revamping the way its officers are scheduled and paid for off-duty details in which officers work in uniform, but are paid by bars, restaurants and sports teams to provide security and traffic control.
The biggest change is that the city will use a private firm, Cover Your Assets, to schedule the officers and collect the fees from the businesses, which will then be passed through to the officers.
The system is being reformed because of concerns that some officers unfairly got more assignments and, in some cases, were paid directly in cash by businesses.
The old system also led to federal charges against former Chief Nate Harper, who pleaded guilty to funneling some detail money into unauthorized credit union accounts, then spent more than $31,000 on himself.