The Houston Chronicle
AUSTIN (AP) - It is not against the law for off-duty officers to moonlight at private security jobs, according to an opinion released by the attorney general.
The opinion by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott released Monday said that officers who accept such jobs are not violating a state law prohibiting public servants from accepting an honorarium.
John Curtis, general counsel for the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, said the opinion is welcome news for the state’s law officers who rely on the jobs’ extra income
“It’s a relief to a lot of police officers and their families. It sure would be tough if they lost that ability to supplement their income,” Curtis said Tuesday.
Curtis said CLEAT sought clarification after the Houston Chronicle reported last November that the state Ethics Commission considered it an open question whether off-duty jobs were legal. State Rep. Robert Talton, R-Pasadena, requested the opinion.
The practice came under scrutiny in Houston last year after five Houston police officers were arrested in a scheme to ignore criminal activity at cantinas where they worked off-duty in exchange for payments from the club owners. All recently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of official oppression.
Officers working security jobs also have been involved in shootings this year and in past years. Those shootings are investigated as though they had occurred while the officers were on duty, Curtis said.