IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — John Cowley isn't the type to sit still for very long.
He's held a slew of positions during his 14 years with the Idaho Falls Police Department – patrol officer, detective, traffic officer and he's worked a couple of stints as a school resource officer.
Cowley also takes on a handful of side jobs.
He runs a catering service and works security at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, Idaho State University, Melaleuca Field and Emerson Alternative High School.
""If I'm not working, I'm spending – so I work,"" Cowley said who estimates he works between 75 and 83 hours a week.
He's not the only city officer who moonlights. Roughly 60 percent of the Idaho Falls department has a second job (or third or fourth) such as extermination businesses and security work, Sgt. Phil Grimes said.
Officers are required to clear any secondary employment with Chief Steve Roos, and department policy says their primary employment obligation is with the police department.
City police aren't the only ones who work more than one job. Several Bonneville County sheriff officials do, although the numbers aren't tracked.
There are deputies who work in construction and as disc jockeys and ranchers. One owns First Responders, an Ammon store that sells gear and clothing tailored to law enforcement officers.
Another deputy, Keith Christensen, owns Inland Scuba with his wife. The Idaho Falls company specializes in scuba instruction and equipment.
""It's a whole other career and it keeps me out of trouble,"" Christensen said, adding that he's also on the county's dive team and teaches a variety of safety courses.
Not every law enforcement officer works extra jobs just for fun. Some, such as Idaho Falls police officer Mike Cosens, need the work so they can pay the bills.
Cosens works security at EIRMC and ISU on his days off. The extra cash helps support his wife and three kids, he said.
""If I didn't have to do it, I probably wouldn't,"" Cosens said.
His co-worker Cowley, who holds a number of jobs in addition to his gig as a school resource officer at Skyline High School, enjoys the variety.
One of Cowley's longest-running side jobs is a catering business called Big John's Dutch Oven Cooking. For 17 years, excluding winter months, the 49-year-old has cooked everything from peach cobbler to cowboy beans to barbecued chicken at a variety of events, including family reunions and company parties.
He's served as many as 500 people at a time.
Although Cowley recently transferred the company's ownership to his longtime business partner, he still plans to help out as much as he can.
""It's just fun to change things up a little,"" Cowley said.
Still, he has no plans to quit his day job.
""There's never enough money in law enforcement, but it's a darn good job,"" Cowley said.
Cops and courts reporter Heather Wells can be reached at 542-6765.
Did you know?
Starting annual pay at the Idaho Falls Police Department is $36,275.20, if the officer hasn't had any law enforcement experience. A Bonneville County sheriff's deputy with no law enforcement experience starts at $30,222.40 annually.
