Evanston, IL – October 28, 2020 – Lexington Police have tightened their off-duty employment policies as they’re now requiring uniforms and body-worn cameras to be worn even for off-duty work.
Since 1973, the Lexington Police Department maintained an off-duty employment policy that allowed many officers to perform external duties for supplemental income. Some of these alternative jobs included working as security guards for businesses, directing traffic for organized events, working for homeowners’ associations, and the like.
While the policy was updated several times over the last 47 years, the police officers were not required to wear uniforms or cameras while off-duty.
Aside from a few tweaks altered in July of this year, these policies haven’t experienced an update since 2015. With this massive change, the police officers will no longer be allowed to be out of uniform while performing any law enforcement duties – regardless of on-duty or off-duty status.
Lexington Police Commander Brad Ingram announced the change during last week’s Urban County Council Committee meeting.
The policy is influenced by an altercation between an off-duty officer and a black teenager that took place at Fayette Mall earlier this year.
The off-duty police chaplain, Donovan Stewart, now retired, was recorded by an onlooker punching the child who had already been subdued to the ground. However, Stewart reported allegedly that the teenager struck first.
This altercation was not clear in the bystander’s lone video and Stewart was not wearing a body-worn camera as he was not issued one.
The Lexington Police Department has since ordered additional cameras to ensure all police officers are equipped with body-worn cameras by January 2021.
The new policy was praised by Councilman James Brown.
“Whether on-duty or off-duty, they represent the city, they represent the department,” Brown said. “If we hold them to the same standards as we do when they’re on duty, I think it gives us a better chance for success and the best representation out there.”
Under the new policy, companies can hire police officers after specifying the job duties and getting an approval. Plain clothes while on off-duty assignments are still allowed. However, they must be heavily vetted first.
