Moonlighting by San Jose police officers is again inviting scrutiny after the recent domestic violence arrest of San Francisco 49ers football player Ray McDonald at his San Jose home, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. When city officers arrived to investigate whether McDonald had abused his fiancee, they found that Sgt. Sean Pritchard, a San Jose officer who knew McDonald through his side security job with the football team, was already there.
The incident raised questions about whether moonlighting divides an officer's loyalty. The issue was studied two years ago in a San Jose city auditor’s report that recommended “urgent reform and cultural change needed to gain control of off-duty police work.” (Just three of 30 recommended reforms have been fully implemented.) Pritchard was on duty when McDonald called him to his home during the incident on Aug. 31. The issue has cropped up elsewhere. In New Orleans, a 2011 report found officers were being paid up to $500 a night to serve as private security guards for professional athletes.