Taxpayers To Foot $200,000 For Off-Duty Officer LawsuitPOSTED: 5:19 pm EST March 1,
2007 PITTSBURGH -- The city of Pittsburgh is going to pay more than $200,000 to settle a lawsuit over alleged excessive use of force by a police officer who was working a side job for a private employer at the time.But should the city take more control of off-duty officers working in uniform?Officers might work private jobs, but if something goes wrong, it's taxpayers who can be on the hook.Some officers strike their own deals with private employers or other officers who've set up businesses on the side to act as middlemen.A debate is brewing over whether the city should take a stronger hand to protect the taxpayers' interest.What went wrong during one officer's side job at Oakland's Original Hot Dog Shop will cost the city $200,000.A customer filed an excessive-force lawsuit over the actions of off-duty Sgt. Mark Eggleston.Last fall, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl scrapped a program launched under former Mayor Tom Murphy and continued under late Mayor Bob 'Connor, which would have the city charge an extra fee that could cover taxpayers liabilities."We do not want to associate a cost to the extent that it deters people from hiring off-duty details," said Ravenstahl. "Those officers are visible. They're on the street, and they do the work of the people.""They're using city-owned uniforms, Tasers, guns, communications devices, in some cases, use of cars," said City Councilman Bill Peduto. "They are being held liable to the city taxpayers if something goes wrong."Peduto, Ravenstahl's opponent in the mayoral primary, said scrapping the previous program gave up hundreds of thousands of dollars the city should get."It deterred and would have deterred many organizations," said Ravenstahl. "The Cultural District for example to not hire off-duty detail officers. And so therefore, we just felt that it was something we needed to slow down, take a further look at. And that's what we're doing now."The attorney for the police union said he agrees with Ravenstahl."The city taxpayers deserve to have a cost-recovery program, just like every other city has," said Peduto. "Just like the Allegheny County police have."Ravenstahl said he would have his own version of a cost-recovery program for those police side jobs within the next month or so. Related Links: More County NewsGet RSS | E-Mail Alerts Copyright 2007 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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