Police Officers Often Take Second Jobs To Support Families

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second job at a restaurant when she heard "officer down" on a police scanner.

When she realized it was her husband, she got to the scene and was able to be with him before he was loaded onto the ambulance.

Working two jobs is something a lot of officers do to make ends meet. And the practice is not discouraged by the department.

"There are a number of places in the city that have live entertainment permits, and the city requires them to have an officer on the site 8 p.m. until an hour after closing. It doesn't have to be a Raleigh police officer, it can be a deputy, sheriff or anybody with the the powers of arrest," said Capt. D.S. Overman of the Raleigh Police Department.

Officer Powell was working under guidelines set by the Raleigh police department. The city requires clubs offering alcohol and live entertainment to have an off-duty officer on site.

Raleigh police will even recommend officers to those businesses that call them asking for assistance.