Secondary employment is referred to by many names in law enforcement agencies nationwide. You may hear the terms off-duty employment or extra-duty employment, as well as a few others. 

The vocabulary used to define these jobs is as varied as the state and agency policies that administer them. As varied as the names are, most agencies have something in common. Their officers work off-duty assignments without realizing the risks that come from a lack of transparency, workers’ compensation, and liability insurance. 

The risks associated with off-duty work are a blind spot for most agencies, and they often can get buried at the bottom of the priority list.