Officers and firefighters say they need that second job to supplement their public safety earnings and maintain a comfortable standard of living. In decades past, police officers and firefighters were forced to work two, sometimes three jobs to make ends meet. While salaries have risen over time, so has the cost of living. The ways firefighters and police officers make extra income vary. Many work construction, repair or security jobs, McManus and Fulton police Chief Mark Spawn said.
Some second jobs are a little less common.
Firefighter Jeff Labouef and his dad, Dick, own Tamarck Golf Club in Scriba. Fulton police Sgt. Russ Johnson, in charge of the department's Criminal Investigations Division, mixes business, politics, family and educational pursuits on his palette. He's a landlord, he's been a county legislator for eight years and chairs the legislature's Ways, Means and Budget Committee. This fall, he will seek re-election for his fifth term.