Clubbing Cops

Raleigh, North Carolina, police say it's not a make-work program, but they have stepped up enforcement of a local ordinance that requires businesses offering "amplified entertainment" to post an off-duty sworn law enforcement officer in the parking lot. Business owners who have been cited say that the police will give them a list of officers to hire along with the citation. And court records show that the citations are usually dropped after a business hires a Raleigh cop. Business owners also say that the cops demand cash for their services and usually refuse to give them their Social Security numbers for tax purposes.