Summary
"Many police agencies throughout the U.S. have adopted variations on the traditional five-day, eight-hour/day work schedule. Compressed schedules (longer hours over fewer days weekly) have become increasingly attractive to both police agencies and police personnel for a variety of reasons. However, there is no known national source that indicates the extent to which compressed schedules have been implemented. Therefore, as part of a larger study about the impact of various shift schedules on safety, health, performance, and quality of life, the Police Foundation conducted a random phone survey of police agencies. The purposes of this phone survey, conducted first in November 2005, and again in November 2009, were to determine the proportion of agencies having various shift schedules (e.g., 8-, 10-, or 12-hours in length) for their field patrol officers and the extent to which agencies still employed rotating shifts. This report presents the findings from the 2009 follow-up survey."--Introduction.