Police Hours
This letter is in response to my colleague Chief Bernard Parks’ Nov. 21 column, “Community Needs Outrank Some Officers’ Preference.” The article involves his decision to reject continuance of the Los Angeles Police Department’s trial “3-12” work plan for patrol officers. The decision to discontinue the compressed workweek is because “Compressed schedules go against the very core of community policing,” Parks states.
Community-based policing has been our department’s hallmark for the past 40 years I have been a police officer in El Monte, the last 20 serving as chief.
I can report that our patrol officers worked the 10 plan beginning in 1970, and the improved 12 plan since 1988. It works exceptionally well for both employees and management. El Monte was the third safest city in Los Angeles County in 1995 and 1996, in comparable 100,000 to 499,000 population cities.
I believe the key is that whether police officers work the 10 plan, 12 plan or the 9/80 plan they still all work 173.33 hours’ average per month. The exact same number of hours as the traditional five-day 40-hour workweek. The significant differences in the compressed plans are the flexibility in deployment of patrol officers, cost savings in overtime and the enhanced morale gained with more personal time for the officers.
WAYNE C. CLAYTON
El Monte Police Chief
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