Anaheim Police Chief’s Weekend Job Raises Questions of Conflict : Ethics: The City Council has ordered a study on his part-time duties as security consultant to the Los Angeles Rams.

Police Chief Joseph T. Molloy has what he says is purely a weekend job that would be any sports fanatic’s dream.

On virtually every football Sunday this fall, the chief’s moonlighting duties have taken him on a tour of the National Football League--from the sidelines of Tampa Bay to the tense visitors’ locker room at Texas Stadium.

He is a security consultant to the Los Angeles Rams, and beyond coordinating players’ hotel bed checks, Molloy said there are occasions when he may be called to deal with out-of-town authorities on possible criminal matters involving players or other club personnel.

In 15 games this season, the chief said, those problems have not materialized. But while the chief said he would happily pay the Rams to do the work, City Council members are just now raising questions about whether Molloy’s moonlighting activities represent a conflict of interest.

“The reason I’m doing it is because I enjoy the game,” Molloy said. “I should probably pay him (Rams Coach Chuck Knox) for all I’ve learned about how to manage people.”

Nevertheless, council members have asked City Manager James D. Ruth to study the matter and issue a report of his findings to the council early next month.

Mayor Tom Daly said that council members only recently learned of Molloy’s relationship with the Rams and were concerned about whether it would detract from the chief’s primary duties with the city.

Anaheim police are in charge of security operations at the city-owned Anaheim Stadium and provide a contingent of officers to work Rams home games. The number of officers deployed to the stadium varies with attendance, weather and popularity of opponents, city officials said. The officers are paid time and a half for their work, with the money coming from the Rams and stadium operating revenues.

The formula for assignment of officers was developed in 1987 by Molloy’s predecessor, Jimmie Kennedy, and former stadium General Manager William I. Turner, according to city records.

“The council is concerned enough about the situation and asked Jim Ruth to report back to us with a recommendation,” Daly said. “Prior to now, the council members have not been made aware of the extent of the relationship.”

Although he has yet to make his report to the council, Ruth said he has already determined that there is no conflict. He made that decision before the Rams’ season started and after consulting with City Atty. Jack L. White.

“If I ever felt . . . that any outside activity was interfering with (the chief’s) ability to do the job I would absolutely not permit it,” Ruth said. “There wouldn’t even be any discussion about it.”

Ruth said the chief was not involved in developing security procedures for the stadium, adding that any amendments to that policy require approval by both the city manager and the stadium general manager.

“There could be people out there saying: ‘Well, what’s he doing out there with a second job? He doesn’t need a second job,’ ” the city manager said of Molloy, who is paid $101,197 a year by the city. “It’s something that’s really of interest to him. He loves football, he loves being around that kind of activity, and, frankly, he sacrifices. He’s away from his family . . . and we made daggum sure that there’s nothing there on city time.”

Ruth said he thought the Anaheim Police Officers Assn. had brought the issue to the attention of council members.

“But if it wasn’t (Molloy’s job with the Rams), they’d be complaining about something else probably,” Ruth said. “They’re going to take on management and they’re going to talk to council. . . . Right now, I think that Joe has been very upfront with it.”

Molloy said he was approached about the job earlier this year by the Rams. From the start, Molloy said, he told Rams officials that he would not deal with law-enforcement matters involving team personnel that took place within the city limits.

“I have to be very cognizant of that,” Molloy said of the potential for conflicts. “They (the Rams) have never asked me to do anything for them. If something did come up (involving Anaheim law enforcement) and they asked me to do it, I would quit (the Rams job). There is not a question about it.”

Other than to indicate that the chief’s compensation was nominal, both the Rams and Molloy declined to reveal exactly how much he is paid. Travel expenses, however, are provided by the team.

Since games are confined to weekends, Molloy said his Rams responsibilities--including those that take him out of town--do not interfere with his hours at police headquarters.

The team’s itinerary for away games typically requires Molloy to leave with the club on the Saturday before each game. The team returns immediately after the game on Sunday, allowing the chief to report for his regular duties at the start of each week.

Molloy said he has not missed a day of work because of football, even though the team’s recent return flight from the Tampa Bay game did not arrive in California until the wee hours of Monday morning.

An avid sports fan, Molloy has reported accepting $3,200 in complimentary Rams tickets since being named chief, according to city records. And his spacious office at police headquarters is decorated with autographed footballs and other items of team memorabilia.

Molloy admitted that his arrangement with the Rams was “unusual” for a sitting police chief, but he said: “Coach Knox knew I was a football fan.”

Asked about Molloy’s duties with the team, Knox had little comment other than to say: “I’m in charge of a lot of things around here, but security is not one of them.”

Molloy said much of his security-related work for the team is “pretty boring.” He said his only contact with out-of-town authorities was a brief encounter with Costa Mesa police at a hotel where the team was staying one Saturday. They had responded when a player’s car was rammed in the hotel parking lot. Yet he sees his value to the team as “knowing how to deal with the (law enforcement) system.”

“Much of what I do involves coordination with the NFL representative at the stadium,” he said.

Enjoyment, he said, comes from his access to the coach, players and the team’s pregame preparations.

“Coach Knox is a real disciplinarian,” the chief said. “I now have a real appreciation for the game of football.”