BURBANK : New ‘Flex’ Schedule Set for Police Officers

Burbank police officers will soon begin a new work schedule designed to make their lives a little easier--even though the number of hours they will be on the streets per day will increase from eight to 12.

Beginning Dec. 29, 75 officers, sergeants and lieutenants in the Burbank Police Department’s patrol unit will switch to a three-day work week with 12-hour shifts.

The change will not only cut commuting time for officers who live in outlying communities, but it will also give the department the flexibility to put more officers on patrol during the evenings and weekends when they are most needed, police officials said.

“I think it will result in some increased levels of service for the city,” said Police Capt. Thomas Hoefel. “We will be able to deploy more officers during peak periods. It’s actually a more efficient work schedule.”

Most of the remaining 157 members of the police force will remain on the current “9/80” work schedule, in which they have a three-day weekend every other week.

On the new schedule, patrol officers will have four consecutive days off every week, although they will be required to work one extra 12-hour shift every four weeks to ensure they work 40 hours per week during the month, Hoefel said.

There will be three different shifts on the new patrol schedule. Most officers will work either a day shift from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. or a night shift from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., while a few will work a “mid-watch” shift from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m., Hoefel said.

The Burbank Police Officers Assn. bargained for the new work schedule during negotiations for the officers’ current contract. The new schedule is modeled after similar programs that have been successful in Glendale, West Covina and other cities, department officials said.

Los Angeles police will begin a three-day workweek in January.

“I think it’s done for a lot of reasons,” said Lt. Steve Campbell of the Glendale Police Department, which implemented the three-day, 12-hour shifts in January, 1993, and currently has about 125 officers, sergeants and civilian employees on that schedule.

“It helps the department meet the (South Coast Air Quality Management District trip reduction) requirements, and it benefits the officers because they don’t have to make as many commuting trips. It also gives you more officers on patrol when you need them. But there is a trade-off in that it makes for a very long day,” Campbell said.

Burbank police officials said they are now working with the police officers’ association to establish guidelines for evaluating the effectiveness of the schedule during an 18-month trial period.

Hoefel said one criteria will be whether the longer shifts prove too tiring.

“That’s everyone’s first impression and I think we all are very concerned for the safety of the officers and our citizens, but experience has shown in a lot of other (police departments) that those fears have not been realized,” Hoefel said.