Opinion ID: 1673493
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: private employer liability for actions of off-duty police officers

Text: The issue of whether private employers may be held vicariously liable for the torts committed by an off-duty police officer employed as a private security guard appears to be one of first impression in this state. In the typical case involving the doctrine of respondeat superior, an employer may be held liable for the torts committed by his or her employees while performing duties within the scope of employment. See, e.g., Howard v. Haven, 198 Tenn. 572, 582, 281 S.W.2d 480, 484-85 (1955); Tennessee Farmers Mut. v. American Mut., 840 S.W.2d 933, 937 (Tenn.Ct. App.1992). Although a private employer is certainly not immune from liability for the negligent or wanton acts of an employee . . . for the reason that the employee has official status as a police officer, see Carmelo v. Miller, 569 S.W.2d 365, 367 (Mo.Ct.App.1978), we recognize that issues stemming from the private employment of off-duty officers do not fit precisely within the typical framework of respondeat superior. This incongruity arises largely because the special status of peace officers in this state permits an off-duty officer to act within the scope of his or her public employment, even while otherwise performing duties for the private employer. Other jurisdictions that have examined this issue are divided as to whether, and under what circumstances, a private employer may be held liable for the actions of an off-duty officer employed as a security guard. Irrespective of the ultimate conclusion reached, though, most jurisdictions, if not all, resolve this type of issue by looking to the nature of the act committed by the off-duty officer. A majority of jurisdictions, including the Court of Appeals in this case, find that because the officer's actions giving rise to the tort were taken in the officer's official capacity, the private employer cannot be held vicariously liable. While various rationales are used to reach this conclusion, most jurisdictions reason that the officer's actions were official because (1) police officers have an ever-present public duty to preserve the peace and enforce the law, [3] or (2) the officer's action was taken to vindicate a public right or to benefit the public in general. [4] In addition to these considerations, some courts have even declined to impose vicarious liability on employers based, in part, on public policy grounds, holding that employment of police officers as security guards furthers deterrence of crimes. [5] While some jurisdictions impose liability on private employers for the actions of off-duty officers, these minority jurisdictions merely conclude that the officer was acting in a private capacity when the tort was committed. The rationales advanced to support this conclusion include (1) that the officer's actions were within the scope of his or her private employment; [6] and (2) that the officer's actions were taken in return for private compensation, contrary to a statute prohibiting private compensation for public duties. [7] Consequently, even though jurisdictions may disagree as to the proper resolution of any given case, virtually all jurisdictions ultimately follow a nature-of-the-act approach in determining private employer liability for the actions of an off-duty officer employed as a security guard.