Every year the United States loses close to 160 law enforcement officers in the line of duty. May 15th was named as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15th falls in is named National Police Week. These dates were proclaimed in 1962 by President Kennedy to pay special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Police Week is honored throughout the country, as well as, with a full week of events taking place in Washington, D.C. The primary organizers of National Police Week include, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), Fraternal Order of Police/Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary (FOP/FOPA) and Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) . Records have shown that over 35,000 law enforcement officers, supporters and survivors arrive in Washington D.C. for the memorial week in honor of the ones they have lost. Some of the events organized include the Police Week 5K, K-9 Memorial Service, Police Unity Tour, Candlelight Vigil and the National Police Survivors’ Conference.

We are proud partners with the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund, and in honor of this week, we took part in lighting a virtual candle in special recognition for these fallen heroes. We recognize their sacrifice and are forever grateful for their commitment to our communities.

Workplace culture espouses the importance of employee diversity. The same lesson can be applied to supplier diversity. Minority businesses are defined as those operated by African-Americans, Alaskan Natives, American Indians, Asian-Americans, Hispanics or women. Minorities operate more than 8 million businesses in the U.S., and they are the fastest-growing group in the U.S. Demographics. Partnering with a diverse supplier base helps your company reflect and meet the needs of your increasingly diverse clients.

Here are FIVE reasons to establish a diverse supplier base: 

Among Washington, D.C.’s most important landmarks, is the new National Law Enforcement Museum that has been recently constructed by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Its immersive mission is to provide a day-in-the-life experience of what it’s like to be a law enforcement officer. The museum’s developers acknowledge a current disconnect between law enforcement and some communities. They hope the museum, through storytelling and interactive displays and exhibits, will help build a bridge between the public and law enforcement.

[Pictured in left photo: Brett Rowley, Vice President & Sherry Rowley, President]

Brett and Sherry Rowley, Co-Founders of Off Duty Services (ODS), attended the opening ceremony on Thursday, October 11th, 2018. In attendance were Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, former Attorney General John Ashcroft, and and retired Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. The ceremony included a ribbon cutting by the honorary chairman, Clint Eastwood, and concluded with a rendition of “God Bless America” by Boston (MA) Police Officers alongside the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Voices in Motion Choir.

Here at Off Duty Services, we appreciate our law enforcement officers for all of their dedication, sacrifices and determination to keep our communities safe. By this week being Police Week, a week when we give gratitude to officers who have given the ultimate sacrifice, we can bring light to the men and women that serve our communities and honor these individuals for all they have done. ODS thanks you for your service, sacrifice and protection. #policeweek

During Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, increased security at affected sites became a necessity for many companies. An exponential amount of assignments from varying industries created a huge influx of hours for off duty police officers. Under these extreme instances, many of the off duty officers who worked, took time off from their agency so they could be available to assist in the recovery efforts for an extended period of time. As the assignments came to a close, officers tallied their hours worked and submitted their time for pay. The companies who employed these officers have negotiated pay rates and terms prior to engaging the officers. Even so, there were many reports of officers who were not being paid in a timely manner and disputes over not honoring pay rates that were agreed upon.

The benefits of being paid in a timely manner are highly sought after in any line of work. None more so than in an industry such as off duty employment, where officers chasing paychecks has been an industry norm from the very early years. This not only affects the officers, but the end users as well. Officers that are not paid on time are less inclined to work for that location during future assignments. Whether that officer is working for the end user directly or through a third party, the perception of lack of payment always falls to the end user. Due to these concerns, Off Duty Services (ODS) places heavy value on paying officers weekly and invoicing their customers on a monthly basis. Through the experience officers had with ODS during past natural disasters, ODS was able to mobilize 100’s of officers to the affected areas without the teams questioning payroll issues.

Image: NASA/NOAA GOES Project

The Off Duty Services (ODS) team works closely with their clients on a regular basis to ensure that their security needs are met.  ODS is also there to support our clients in the face of a crisis event or natural disaster. In the month of late August and early September, Hurricane Harvey and Irma both affected the coasts of the U.S. creating State of Emergencies, thus, making it impossible to outsource off duty police from the affected areas. By having a national capability, ODS was able to recruit 100’s of off duty officers outside the affected areas and deploy them quickly where they were needed for extended periods of time.