By Andrew Harp
The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
CHARLESTOWN, Ind. — The Charlestown Police Department has implemented a new program that gives officers the ability to take a two-week sabbatical after five years of service.
Called the Rejuvenation Program, this was instituted by CPD Chief Eric Kruse. He said he read about a similar program in an agency in Minnesota.
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“I thought it sounded like a really good idea and they looked like they had some success with their program,” he said.
Using the information of the structure of the program, with some modifications, they now have their own sabbatical program effective immediately. Kruse said that three or four officers have already scheduled their times off out of the total 19 full-time officers.
He said that all sworn patrol officers after five years of consecutive service to the city will get two weeks of sabbatical. Those who are assigned to administrative positions get one week.
Kruse said for police officers, it can be hard for them to put their work aside when they go home, and so the program is for them to focus on their mental health.
He said the point of the sabbatical time is for them to spend time with their family and friends. This time is unrelated to their vacation, personal and sick time. Time is agreed upon in order to not disrupt staffing levels and needs.
Those officers that do take sabbatical time must not take work-related calls or messages, and they must not do any call-outs or other off-duty employment related to law enforcement.
“We’re essentially sending you home for free, and what I want to see is you going home and spending that time with your wife or your husband or your kids or your friends,” he said.
Kruse said, as far as he could tell in his research, he did not see a comparable program in Clark County or in the state.
“They can serve the public a little bit easier knowing that they had that time off and got to rejuvenate,” he said.
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