On the beat.

For years, Los Angeles Police Department officers have moonlighted as private security personnel for several of the city's three dozen business improvement districts. But they've had to don the uniforms of the private security services (i.e.: the "purple patrol" in downtown L.A.) and they couldn't carry their service revolvers or use police cruisers.

Now, under a proposal put forward by L.A. City Councilman Dennis Zine, business improvement districts would be able to hire actual off-duty LAPD officers--in LAPD uniforms and LAPD cruisers--to patrol their streets.

The proposal, which won conceptual approval from the L.A. Police Commission earlier this month, also allows LAPD officers to patrol Dodger Stadium. Some of LAPD's finest have already started to do so.

Extra LAPD protection would come at a price--$65 to $73 an hour in overtime pay. That's far more expensive than the typical $40 to $55 an hour rate for private security.

There is another catch: any off-duty LAPD officers working for BIDs would still report to their LAPD watch commanders, not to the BIDs themselves.

So why use off-duty LAPD officers at all?

"There are times when you want an additional visible police presence," said Kerry Morrison, executive director of the Hollywood Entertainment District.

The Zine proposal is expected to go before the City Council early next month.