9 investigates: CMPD officers take on secondary jobs because of low pay

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department saw a drop in recruitment and retention in recent years and one reason could be low pay and benefits

The department has been pushing the city for raises, but in the meantime, some officers are trying to make ends meet any way they can, including picking up a side job.

Those long hours take a toll on the officers.

More on CMPD pay:

Like most departments, CMPD allows its officers to pick up shifts beyond their 40 hours, called secondary employment.

Businesses can hire officers through CMPD to provide security or traffic detail, and they pay them a set rate that doesn't come out of the CMPD budget.

Channel 9 learned that more than 80 percent of CMPD officers picked up extra work.

Last year, more than 1,600 CMPD officers clocked hours on secondary employment to the tune of more than $16 million.

The department has about 1,800 officers on staff.

Channel 9 found that the top 10 grossing officers in 2017 pulled in more than $40,000 in secondary employment pay, and one officer made more than $70,000 extra.

The records Channel 9 obtained show the officer frequently works security for Bank of America. He’s retired from CMPD, but came back and only works secondary employment.

Bank of America is one of the top secondary employers for CMPD officers, spending nearly $1 million last year to hire them.

Northlake Mall spent nearly $262,000 in 2017 to hire police officers.

Mark Michalec, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said that while many officers like having the option of a secondary employer, some have to work extra because of low pay at CMPD.

“We are being overworked,” Michalec said. “We need to get more officers in here, better pay, better benefits.”

Michalec said that officers can spend up to 72 hours a week in uniform.

“You would rather just work the 40 hours and spend time with the family,” Michalec said,.

Earlier this year, officers packed the council meeting and demanded better pay.

In June, council passed a 5 percent raise, the first raise for CMPD in five years, but far short of what officers asked for.

Starting officers went from making around $43,000 dollars to making around $46,000, depending on their education.

Charlotte councilman Braxton Winston made police accountability a big part of his campaign for council.

He said he’s concerned about officers getting burnt out, especially in a profession that requires them to make split-second decisions.

“It's really descriptive of so many industries right now. It's becoming increasingly unaffordable for workers,” Winston said. “I want them to be able to focus on that job and not have to worry about having security jobs after hours.”