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Comment by e12e | Hacker News Reader

But off-duty officers are just civilians? They have no added powers to use force against citizens?

> But off-duty officers are just civilians? They have no added powers to use force against citizens?

That's correct. Police officers can only exercise police powers while on duty, and when they go off shift, they become civilians.

I'm not sure if you're referring to a certain jurisdiction in the US, another country, or speaking "theoretically per your interpretation of the US constitution if a case made it to the supreme court", but that is not accurate for the majority of the states in the US. Most US states I'm aware of currently grant officers police authority on and off duty per state law.

Hm, I see that police in Norway also seem to have the same authority off-duty as while at work (and certain obligation to intervene if they happen upon serious crime, as well as the option to intervene as if they where on duty (as long as they are able to identify themselves as police officers, and are sober)). They are prohibited against taking other jobs (moonlighting) without approval from the police commissioner, however.

By off duty, I mean fully in department issued uniform, badge, gun, and radio with full police authority same as on duty.

> By off duty, I mean fully in department issued uniform, badge, gun, and radio with full police authority same as on duty.

Don't you understand that an off-duty police officer may not be in uniform, that that's illegal? In some jurisdictions an off-duty police officer is expected to carry his gun, but he may not exercise police powers.

In short, when a police officer goes off shift, he loses his police powers. Being a policeman is a job, not an identity.

Apparently not, in many (most?) jurisdictions.

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