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Just to keep it real, this particular location is not a construction site in the way that's being debated. This is not the project of a private developer/contractor.......this is the State of New Jersey's prep work for the reconfiguration of Route 139 ("state highway") and the 1/9 approach to the tunnel.

Anyway, onto the point of reviving this issue.......I came by that way today at about 5PM, as I do most days. The traffic was quite sluggish approaching Palisade Avenue, as one would expect at rush hour. Anyway, the stand-still time in traffic gave me the opportunity to clearly see the fearful JC police officer (in a marked JCPD car) absolutely, positively taking a nap!!

I shit you not.....the dude was out like a light. I don't care who's paying in this particular case.......a state-subsidized subcontractor for roads, the state itself, or the good taxpayers of Jersey City........somebody is getting ripped off!

Yes, but the crimes are being committed anywhere BUT the construction sites. We need cops walking the beat, not sitting in squad cars drinking coffee or reading the paper.

I understand that the developers are picking up the tab, but these are the same developers who are getting undeserved tax abatements while property owners are getting robbed by tax hikes and muggers on the streets.

If you pay taxes in Jersey City you should be happy seeing officers at construction sites.

They are out there, ready to fight crime, without it costing the city a dime.

The construction companies pay for the officer and car.

First of all is the money coming out of your pocket to pay these police officers, i think not. Second it's not coming out of your taxes neither the construction companies pay for these officers to be on the site. Third the construction jobs are mostly done during the day so your officers are patrolling the streets at night. Do you get lunch breaks when you work well i believe police officers are entitled to breakfast, lunch and dinner also. Stop bashing the police department and get a life.

There has also been a JC cruiser stationed at the on-ramp to 1/9/NJTP for quite some time now. This is also a construction site.

The contractor always pays for an officer on a construction detail. It's actually a good deal for the city because we get a free officer on the street. Even though they are off duty, they will respond to or call in any crime or trouble that comes to their attention. As far as using police vehicles, I doubt the city has any to spare for construction details but if it were necessary there is probably an extra charge to the contractor.

We went through this issue in the past.

By law, construction work in the city limits must have an off duty PD detail on site at all times that work is being conducted. The contractor is required to pay for the detail. I'm not sure if they also must reimburse the city for use of the vehicle as well.

Officer Mac laid this all out for us when he was still out PR liason from the PD.

Don't you all long for those days, when the cops had an official presence on this board, and you could call McNulty up and actually talk to him? Jeez...Too much to ask, I guess.

-Toe

It probably depends on the construction. I would assume that if it is construction on public property (ie, a street) then it's probably tax dollars. I don't know how it works with private construction.

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I don't think you should assume the tax payers are paying. What makes you think the construction site isn't reimbursing the city for the expenses?

The off duty cops are paid by the contractor. . . i could be wrong but I think it is required that there are a certain amount of off duty police officers on a construction site.

This reminds me of a bad joke: When does a police officer smell the worse? When he's on doody. HAAAY OOHH!!

Who pays the overtime? Who pays for the car and other equipment use? I assume you mean the taxpayers of that town are paying.

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Most likely, they weren't off duty or on break. My brother is an officer (not in Jersey City) and he sometimes gets overtime by hanging around construction sites. Time and a half for sitting in a squad car for four hours isn't a bad deal. I think almost every construction site on a road has an officer on duty and they use overtime as to not take anyone off of patrol.

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They were on their break alright. Their daily 8 hour break.

I don't believe they are allowed to use official vehicles off duty. Since you saw three cars, I doubt they were all working traffic for the construction site. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, maybe they were on their break and grabbing lunch with their co-worker who was off duty?

Just yesterday, when I was driving to Staples, I saw 3 cop cars parked right by the construction site on Columbus. The two cops were sitting in the 3rd car just stared back at me as I looked at them when I drove past them.

I understand that rent-a-cops are free to work wherever they wish when they are off-duty, but why are they using JCPD cars and other resources being paid for by my taxes?

I think someone pointed out in another thread a while back that these guys are actually off duty.

I think it's an utter waste of money to have police officers directing traffic near the major construction sites. This is work that could easily be done by crossing guards. The officers, I feel, should be patrolling the streets at night.