48-hour Shifts: Michigan Police Try Something New
48-hour Shifts: Michigan Police Try Something New
?Written by: L. Fox | July 3, 2022
?A small police department in Jonesville, Michigan, is trying something new. A recent job posting by the Jonesville Police Department on the city's website sought to hire two full-time police officers who would work 48-hour shifts with 96 hours off, as the type of shifts seen at fire departments and emergency medical services around the country.
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Critics of the move claim the 48-hour shifts could lead to increased liability due to potentially tired officers responding to calls for service. The Jonesville Department of Public Safety Director Kurt Etter released a statement answering some of the questions people have had. Etter stated officers on duty would be able to rest at the department while on shift. Etter described the officers essentially living at the department during their shift, touting the department's full kitchen, sleeping and showering quarters, cable television, and internet for the officers to use.
Etter cited a small agency in the state of Washington that has successfully implemented the rotation. The small department of Kittitas Washington switched to the 48 hours on 96 hours off rotation earlier this year to provide 24-hour patrol coverage and have more time off for their officers. The City of Jonesville stated in the job post that they focus on officer wellness and family time with this new schedule. Etter and the City of Jonesville believe the 96 hours off duty time allows for more downtime with families instead of having officer workday, swing, and or night shifts 4 to 5 days per week.
The city of Jonesville currently has one officer per shift who provide patrol coverage for a city of just over 2000 residents. Etter believes the flexibility of this schedule allows small agencies such as his to compete with larger agencies for the same small group of applicants due to the downtime it will enable.
Transit Officer
2 年This does not seem realistic. Fire departments are able to do this because their members often wear different uniforms for different situations. Responding to medical incidents does not require the need for full PPE and SCBA. NFTA states that a firefighter needs to be in full PPE in 90 seconds or under. With an officer needing to be battle ready at a moments notice, are they expected to eat, sleep and live in full uniform and body armor for 48 hours at a time? Additionally, a fire departments job is to be reactive to everything. They don't go house to house making sure nothing is burning or from person to person making sure they are in proper physical health. Police need to be proactive, constantly looking for crime and deterring potential criminals. This seems like a sure fire way to burn officers out and cause them to make bad decisions.
Urologist
2 年There is an undeniable degradation of cognitive ability and skills with sleep deprivation. Talented individuals can still perform at a high level with minimal sleep if they have a surplus of skill but they certainly won’t be at their very best. We have seen this in the field of surgery. But not everyone is a gifted surgeon. You don’t want a surgeon, regardless of talent, cracking your chest open at the 47th hour of a two day shift. Most states have passed laws limiting the number of hours physicians can work to reduce deadly medical errors. Law enforcement is a high risk profession and should be no different.
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2 年This sounds like police work is going to reactive only and eliminating proactive policing
Pottstown Police Department
2 年It may be feasible in a small department where nothing happens, but in a large city or really any busy environment it's not feasible. You can't sleep deeply, or dress too far down as it would dramatically increase your response time to a hot call.