Another 12 hour shift question - filling OT

[Lon]

We are on the traditional 12 hour schedule. Like most agencies, we have minimum manning levels. If we have OT to fill a sudden manpower issue when someone calls in sick, we page out the OT. If no one answers the page, then the person with the OT lowest hours is ordered to stay over for 6 hours. Someone else will then be ordered in 6 hours early to cover the second half of the shift. The problem is when that happens on the second day (or third if it’s a weekend) the person ordered in or over works. For me it’s huge safety issue having guys work 18 hour days with little to no sleep. For example, last Wednesday a night shift guy called off sick. I had to order one of my day shift guys to work til midnight. Instead of ordering one of my guys to come in at midnight, I came in and worked an Officers slot from midnight til 0600. I got maybe an hours sleep and ended up working 19 hours straight due to a late call we had. To say I was not at my best at the end of the day is an understatement.

I’ve been advocating a different way of ordering people in to cover manpower, but have basically been told “it’s always been this way, what’s the problem?” That’s a good answer when one of our guys makes a piss poor decision at hour 17 into an 18 hour shift. Or falls asleep at the wheel and kills someone.

Anyway, here’s my question - how do those of you working 12 hour shift fill unexpected manpower needs?

[TheNewbie]

How many officers do you have a shift?

[TC215]

Anyway, here’s my question - how do those of you working 12 hour shift fill unexpected manpower needs?

We would pull someone from a specialized unit— traffic, community policing, etc. (they normally work 10 hour shifts)

For a longer-term shortage, we would temporarily pull someone from another patrol platoon that had more manpower.

[jnc36rcpd]

We weren't on twelve-hour shifts when I was booted out, but we experienced similar issues with our 8.5 and ten hour shifts. The solution was usually to find volunteers who often were voluntold. My most memorable experience occurred when the guy I replaced as a sergeant (because he banged in sick so often), now a lieutenant told me to hold someone over from my shift and order someone from days in early, apparently not knowing or caring that cops screen phone calls and not answering calls from dispatch or the on-duty sergeant.) He then disappeared like fog. It was the only impressive thing that simpleton ever did in his entire multi-decade career. (He's now a major.)

We replied on younger, enthusiastic, and money-hungry officers to cover shifts. This was easier with some teams than others, especially since the teams that needed coverage were usually the ones that didn't take care of overtime officers. As an example, on one occasion, a daywork officer held over onto evenings when she should have secured at 1500 ran a personal injury collision just after 2100. A midnight officer (roll call at 2100) arrived on scene, laughed at her, and went off to do whatever he and his shift did on midnights. Leadership failure and character failure, but I digress.

Returning to young, enthusiastic, and money-hungry (nothing wrong with any of those characteristics), we often had officers sort of "awake" for twenty-four hours and more or, alternatively, working multiple seventeen hour days. I tried to avoid doing this, but a sergeant just couldn't avoid it. It seemed better to let a youngster work another double that he or she wanted to do and claimed that they could than ordering someone else to do so.

My suggestion is that a restriction on hours worked be put in agency general orders. If it is mandated by federal law for truck drivers and airline pilots, it's as important for cops. If the shift can't be staffed, a rotation for executive officers to work should be established. Most won't be as efficient or effective as some rookie, but they will be there. After that happens a few times or occasionally or not again after being in general orders, the prroblem will correct itself. In my experience, the problem is not a flu outbreak or officers on admin leave after a shooting, but the shifts whicj use sick leave as annual leave.

[Hambo]

I know cops like days off, but you barely get enough sleep working multiple 12 hour shifts in a row. There are a lot of articles about nursing errors increasing when working 12s. With that in mind, there's no good way to work 18 hours straight. Unless you can fill OT with people in the middle of days off there's no safe way to fix your problem.

[lwt16]

When we tried 10s, unexpected manpower shortages were just simply rolled with. There was no mandatory holding people over but often volunteers from all sides of town would help out for their OT rate. When people didn't want to stay over or come in, we did the best with the staffing we had. There were days when it was WAY short......not even enough to assign an officer to each zone. Eventually, they started giving us each 2 zones to patrol which totally eliminated pro-active policing. It was handling calls and going to the next one on the list.

We could also elect to come in on our off days at our OT rate. Several of us did so. Working one extra day per week at my OT rate afforded me many rounds of ammo during those dark times.

We are back on 8s and the OT went away, response time dwindled, and everyone was more rested/happier. We are also back to being assigned one zone per officer.

For us, the 8s work.

Regards.

[Lon]

How many officers do you have a shift?

Our minimum staffing allowed per our contract is 4 Officers and a Sgt/OIC.

Due to retirements and what not, 12 hour shifts are in our future for a while. Otherwise we can’t staff the road without massive amounts of OT. We are small enough (45 sworn at full staffing) that pulling from other units on short notice is not an option since they don’t work nights.

Our dispatchers also work 12s. They fill OT with people who aren’t working that day. Basically an on call dispatcher. They get compensated for being on call. I’d like to look at something like that but want to see what other agencies are doing.

Edit to add: most of the guys want to work 12s, but few will answer the damn phone when OT is paged out.

[cpd2110]

We do an on-call list for the entire year. We are also on 12's. So basically as the Lt I put out a on-call calendar that goes from Monday-Sunday before the beginning of the year. Each of my 14 officers must sign up for 4 weeks and it is done by seniority. So senior guys can have the pick of the litter so to speak and typically will do on call during our long weeks during Jan,Feb and early March. It flows down from there. We do see some issues arise with this that have to be accounted for with maybe a guy has signed up for his time but all of a sudden he/she gets hurt and then I have to replace that person with volunteers from my squad. The on-call list is secondary to putting an OT page out though. The On-call guy/gal is the person we call if we do not get any takers from the OT page. On-call people have 2hours to get to work. They are also compensated at $10 during M-F and then $25 on Sat/Sun or being on call during a recognized holiday. It works for us and our Sheriffs department is where I believe we got the idea. We had a bad run a couple years ago with up to 5 people on light duty or FMLA at the same time across 4 squads. On call was being hit often obviously as was OT spots. We have minimum manpower requirements and staffing is improving so thus far this year I have not had to call anyone out from the list. Anyway if you have questions let me know.

[Lon]

We do an on-call list for the entire year. We are also on 12's. So basically as the Lt I put out a on-call calendar that goes from Monday-Sunday before the beginning of the year. Each of my 14 officers must sign up for 4 weeks and it is done by seniority. So senior guys can have the pick of the litter so to speak and typically will do on call during our long weeks during Jan,Feb and early March. It flows down from there. We do see some issues arise with this that have to be accounted for with maybe a guy has signed up for his time but all of a sudden he/she gets hurt and then I have to replace that person with volunteers from my squad. The on-call list is secondary to putting an OT page out though. The On-call guy/gal is the person we call if we do not get any takers from the OT page. On-call people have 2hours to get to work. They are also compensated at $10 during M-F and then $25 on Sat/Sun or being on call during a recognized holiday. It works for us and our Sheriffs department is where I believe we got the idea. We had a bad run a couple years ago with up to 5 people on light duty or FMLA at the same time across 4 squads. On call was being hit often obviously as was OT spots. We have minimum manpower requirements and staffing is improving so thus far this year I have not had to call anyone out from the list. Anyway if you have questions let me know.

PM sent

[JAH 3rd]

My experience as an LE and later C/O, we didn't get relieved until our replacement was in place. The OIC would call off-duty folks to see if anyone would work. Some people would like overtime, call me if you run short. Like was said above, either the off-duty would not answer the phone, or say "I've been drinking." When you work a 12-hour shift, off time is even more important.