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ON THE JOB NEWS EYE ON EDUCATION DISCIPLINE SOCIAL NETWORKING JUST HANDED DOWN MISSION CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS The Answer: 10-hour Shifts By Ed Sanow I Editorial Director esanow@hendonpub.com S A few of us tried it decades ago. It worked almost everywhere it was tried. That was that. Asked and answered. Well, we now have statistical proof that we were right all along. If you have been reluctant to try 10- hour shifts, the scientific evidence from a couple of rigorous case studies may persuade you to run a pilot program. According to some exhaustive research by Police Founda- tion, 10-hour shifts have many documented advantages over 8-hour shifts. The benefits of 10-hour shifts do not extend to 12-hour shifts. The 12-hour shifts may impose safety risks to the officers and the public. The 8-hour shifts may be more costly than departments realize. The 2.5-year study involved members of the police departments in Detroit, Mich. and Arlington, Texas. The en- tire 52-page report entitled, "The Shift Length Experiment…what we know about 8-, 10- and 12-hour shifts in po- licing," is available from Police Founda- tion. (www.policefoundation.org.) The case studies were a direct com- parison between five 8-hour-day work weeks; four 10-hour-day work weeks and three 12-hour-day work weeks. The 10-hour shifts offer advantages – both to the officer and to the department – without noted disadvantages. Those on 10-hour shifts worked the least amount of overtime of the three groups, a potential cost savings for budget plagued departments. While it may seem some of the advantages of the 10-hour shift would carry over to the 12-hour shift, that was not the case. For example, those on the 10-hour shifts had a higher reported quality of life than those on 8-hour shifts, but those on 12-hour shifts did not. Those officers on 12-hour shifts had "significantly" lower lev- els of alertness at work. They were simply sleepier and more fatigued than those on 8-hour shifts. This was not the case for those on 10-hour shifts. This alertness-sleepy issue raises very serious officer safety issues. It also raises serious liability issues for the department for problems resulting from poor judgment or actions on the part of the fatigued officer. As for the cost to the department for overtime, those on 8-hour shifts worked an average of six hours overtime per two- week period. This compares to an average of one hour of overtime for those on 10-hour shifts and two hours for those on 12-hour shifts. Clearly, officer safety and depart- ment liability issues should push the work week away from 12-hour shifts, period. Reduced costs for depart- ments (overtime), and for officers (commute) are factors that push the work week toward 10-hour shifts. The 10-hour shift allows overlapping coverage to training and peak calls- for-service periods. Of course, the 10- hour shifts also result in more days off for personal interests and family activities. Overall, the 10-hour shifts result in both improved officer job satisfaction and morale. And that goes for officers of all ranks. Try it. If, after six months, for some reason it doesn't work for your department or division, change it back. LaO Post your comments on this story by visiting www.lawandordermag.com "Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out." — Ronald Reagan 6 LAW and ORDER I July 2012