Thank you for that. You are right. Not many police officers, DART or anywhere else, hear that often enough. Trust me, if we had our way, we would make $100,000 a year without OT. But the reality is that none of us are here for the money. While this will sound so cliche', "We are here because we really love serving our community and helping people." The excitement of a car chase or foot chase helps from time to time. But honestly, we just love what we do. There are police officer all across the land that do this job for lower pay than ours. I wish that there was a standard across the country so my blue brothers and sisters would not have to work so much overtime or off-duty. But, that is life.

As far as the contract police, it just would not work well. Mostly because there is no ownership in the system. As a DART Police Officer, much like city officer to his/her city, there is a since of ownership to that system. You take ownership in the agency or city that you are employed with because that is who you serve. If you are contracted, such as off-duty employment, there is not such a since of ownership. Simply put, it is not your bread and butter. Your home agency is where your primary focus is. Not saying that you wont do your job, just that the off-duty is not your primary means of living.

I will look up the other part and get back to you on that one.