The Columbia Police Department will transition from 12-hour to 10-hour patrol shifts in January.
A survey conducted by the Columbia Police Officer Association showed low job satisfaction among officers. Results showed patrol schedules, understaffing problems and reduced benefit programs all played into the low morale.
Executive Director of the CPOA Dale Roberts said the survey gained the attention of the City Council and Chief of Police, which encouraged discussion.
Roberts said the schedule change is a “major step in the right direction.” With 12 hour shifts, officers typically worked 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and would miss out on time spent with their families and children.
Roberts said shorter shifts will cut down on exhaustion officer’s experience when working for such long lengths of time.
“We were concerned about how safe an officer can be when they are supposed to be involved in a high-speed vehicle chase or an incident where they have to decide whether or not to deploy their weapon after they have been working 10, 11, 12 hours and they’re tired and fatigue sets in,” said Roberts.
The police department decided to have a vote to see what shifts were preferred. Officers selected the shift they wanted in a shift survey. The 10-hour shift had the most votes from patrol officers.
Spokesperson for the Columbia Police Department Latisha Stroer said it’s too early to see the actual impact the shift change will have on officers.