ASSOCIATE Magazine FBINAA Q2-2025

Continued from "Managing An Off-Duty Program", on page 15

M any agencies around the country have multiple staff members, sworn and non-sworn, managing their off-duty program. This varies from agency to agency. Some agencies require liability insurance and have an approval process in place, while others take a hands-off approach, leaving officers exposed by permitting them to take any job, including "cash jobs." Some agencies post their off-duty jobs in the muster room or list in a binder for sworn staff to review and sign up for jobs, while others use apps or email to “push out” their jobs. Before we became agency partners with Off Duty Manage ment, my agency had no idea where individuals were working throughout the city. We could not export any reports related to off-duty employment. My sheriff once asked me how many deputies were working over the past weekend, but I could only tell him the number assigned to a planned detail with our sister agency. When he emphasized the need to know where our deputies were working off-duty, it became clear that we needed a solution like Off Duty Management. At that point, the only way to track our officers' off-duty assignments was by requesting the information through emails sent to the officers or location coordinators. TRANSPARANCY AND TRUST In 2024, my previous agency, the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office, decided to partner with Off Duty Management to establish true oversight of our program through access to their important off-duty employment information. Managers at every level can now provide feedback to senior leadership gleaned from our OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

WELLNESS AND MORALE Limiting the amount of hours worked in a day or week is one way to reduce liability and reduce burnout. Officer fatigue can have a significant impact on performance and decision mak ing, creating an unsafe situation. Agencies that streamline their process and allow staff to access to select jobs, internal trust is built. When jobs are managed by individual “select” coordi nators, perceptions of unfairness can arise. Using a software solution such as Off Duty Management increases transparency within the department and allows provisions for monitoring hours worked. Many of these areas discussed are in line with best practices and recommendations made by the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

About the Author: Kathy Vargas has more than 28 years of law enforcement experience and recently retired as a Captain from the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office, where she was the Director of Training. She holds a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice from St. Leo University and a Master’s in Law Enforcement & Public Safety Leadership from the University of San Diego. Kathy is also a gradu ate of the FBI National Academy Session 271 and the National Criminal Justice Command College. Kathy has developed leadership courses and served as a Peer Sup port Coordinator. Certified in emotional intelligence, she incorporated these principles into her training pro grams. Kathy is also a dedicated community volunteer, actively participating in Virginia Special Olympic events. Her expertise and commitment to officer wellness make her a respected leader in her field.

software solution. More importantly, operational supervisors can use information in the system to verify the locations of officers as they make rounds on their shifts.

The best way to build trust in your community is to have true oversight of your program. We hear stories from around the country about officers working excessive hours, leading to poor decision making and risks to officer health and well-be ing. It is crucial to have data in place to track off duty working hours. Leadership has the responsibility to ensure that officers’ hours and work locations comply with policies and procedures and that they are not overworked. Our communities expect officers to effectively process information and make sound decisions quickly.

16 FBINAA.ORG | Q2 2025