Security firm involved in St Louis shooting has history of lawsuits

[branford]

8. Special duty officers almost always retain all police powers,

particularly while in uniform, as is usually the case and as it was the Myers shooting.

An officially "off-duty" officer working an approved (most of these positions require prior departmental approval) security job has all the same powers, duties and obligations as when he's on the clock. That and their training is what make these officers so sought after for security. In fact, in many departments, the arrangements for special duty officer assignments is requested and coordinated through the department itself, and payment is made to them, rather than directly to the officer.

Think of a special duty officer as just another police officer working a particular overtime assignment that happens not to be paid from the regular operating budget.

The fact that something or someone was on a public street is immaterial. Moreover, if the officer would have had proper cause for a "pedestrian check" while on-duty, he may do so while acting as a special duty officer. In fact, if he had reason to suspect criminality, he might have been duty bound and obligated to investigate, despite the fact that he had other security obligations.