HOOVER, Ala. — The Hoover Police Department has officially moved to 12-hour shifts in an effort to improve officer wellness, ABC 3340 reported.
Under the schedule, every patrol officer will have every other Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. The weekend time off represents a change from the department’s previous 8-hour system, where weekend days off were awarded based on seniority and newer officers were required to request time off in order to have a free weekend.
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“We’re always looking at how can we best serve the public and how can we best take care of our officers,” Capt. Daniel Lowe told ABC 3340. “As we’ve been looking at the future of what the Hoover Police Department needs to look like, we were examining really everything that we’re doing.”
Department leaders hope that allowing officers more predictable time to spend with family and friends will create better work-life balance and attract new officers to the force.
The Hoover Police Department is at 96% staffing, ABCC 3340 reported. Still, officials hope that the remaining positions can be filled by officers interested in the new system.
“We’re wanting to provide the best level of service that we possibly can,” Lowe said. “The standard that we’ve always provided will remain the same.”
Do you think 12-hour patrol shifts improve officer wellness? Why or why not?
