Shift Plan

CLICK BELOW TO VIEW AND PRINT THE DOCUMENTS.

Shift Plan Comparisons – Various

2023 April/May Staffing Update

Sample 10 Hour Shift Plan Comparison

FAQ’s POSTED 6/5/23

Q: Why is the Department looking at alternative shift plans?

A: The Department has begun looking at alternative shift plans because we have been in a staffing crisis for the past 2 years. If something drastic is not done, we will reach a point where we can no longer accomplish our mission.

Chief Aziz and FOP President Consoli have heard your concerns regarding staffing and are obligated to find ways to address these shortages to serve our communities properly and to keep our officers safe. 10-hour shift plans including the B-Sector plan we are currently using takes 20% more personnel to staff. Our shortages under the B-Sector plan are even more apparent during the midnight hours.

Q: Has the Shift Plan already been decided?

A: No decision has been made regarding adopting a new shift or if we are going to continue to use our current shift plan. Each proposed option has its own pros and cons, which have been outlined in the material provided. Please make sure you take the survey because it will have significant impact on the Chief’s final determination.

Q: Will the department immediately transfer officers gained from a new shift plan from BOP to other Bureaus?

A: The entire reason for the consideration of alternative shift plans is to address the staffing needs in BOP, to keep officers safe and better serve our communities. The focus for the near future needs to be on patrol until we can address this staffing crisis. We also hope to eventually get back to the point where officers have more opportunity to pursue other assignments.

Q: Has the impact of rotating shifts, 12-hour shifts and been considered when looking at various shift plans?

A: Yes. Officer wellness was a huge consideration in selecting the initial shift plan options, as well as the potential impact of our current shift plan on health and wellness. Studies show that rotating shifts can impact health and lack of a consistent sleep pattern can contribute to heart disease, mood disorders and impact immune system functions. On the other hand, studies have shown 12-hour shifts can potentially lead to fatigue, UOF and departmental accidents, which is why we did not want officers working more than 3 consecutive 12- hour days in a row. Regardless of the schedule selected, the biggest factor that impacts officer wellness and fatigue is what we do on our days off. Officers need to always consider limiting part-time and overtime and using their free time to rest and decompress.

Q: What else is being done? Changing the shift alone will not give us the staffing we need.

A: A schedule change alone will not remedy our staffing crisis. A change in shift would only be one possible element in a multifaceted approach to address our staffing crisis. Below are other methods the Department is implementing that we believe in addition to a shift change will help us combat our staffing crisis.

• Call Volume: The Department has recognized the need to be more efficient in the deployment of our officers. Reducing the amount of report calls an officer responds to would improve response time to priority calls for service and allow more time for community interaction and crime prevention measures. The Department has purchased an online reporting program called Lexus Nexus Doors, which has projected implementation date of Summer 2023. When a citizen calls into Public Safety Communications, they will be provided with the option to report their crime online and will be sent a text or email link that would allow them up to 24-hours to complete their reports.
• Assistance from other Bureaus: Addressing staffing concerns are not just a BOP problem to solve. It is going to take the combined effort of every officer on this agency solve this problem. Developing a rotation for other components within the Department to periodically put on a uniform and assist with calls for service etc. will be a key element in remedying our staffing crisis.
• Re-Organization and/or Consolidation Specialty Units: Other components in Patrol are being analyzed to determine if units can be consolidated, disbanded or re-distributed back to patrol. While these units have been effective in many cases, we need to have a in-depth assessment to determine if we have the levels of staffing to continue some of these entities.
• Civilianization: There are several positions within the department that would potentially be better suited for a civilian employee, which would allow the department to take the officers currently performing those duties and place back in a patrol function. The Department has submitted approximately 60 positions to the county for civilianization and are awaiting response.

Q: How does the Bid System selection work?

A: The bid system will be conducted electronically through a system called Orion. A bid committee will be established to determine the exact metric used to determine hierarchy in the process. The bid committee will review several factors such as times of service, rank and time in grade just to name a few examples.  If you have recommendations or suggestions for what should be included, please email your suggestions to Police_shiftquestions@co.pg.md.us

Q: Will the supervisory ranks of Lieutenants and Sergeant be participating in the bid?

A: Supervisor would participate in the bid process only for schedule, not for Division assignment. The assignment of supervisors to Divisions would be administered at the discretion of the Chief of Police. Once assigned a supervisor would bid their desired shift. There will likely be a process where supervisors would submit a “wish list” to Office of the Chief to use for consideration.

Q: Will officers be able to bid for shift and work locations?

A: Yes. The Department wanted to provide the officers with the power to determine when and where they work. A major concern we have received from you is that opportunity to move to different Divisions within the department has been limited and not afford to everyone. This system would be provided equity and opportunity to everyone in BOP.

Q: How often will the bid occur?

A: The frequency of the bid has not been determined. We wanted input from our officers on frequency of the bid before a determination is made. Please made sure that you participate in the survey to make sure your preference is considered.

Q: Will the results of the bid be transparent?

A: Yes. The results of the bid will be available of everyone to see and will be monitored in collaboration with our FOP to ensure full transparency.

Q: Will there be permanent or rotating shifts?

A: The Department has attempted to provide some initial shift plans options that encompass both rotating and permanent options.  We have received feedback from the membership that wanted an option of a permanent shift. We also wanted to make sure that we provide shift options that did not require mandatory holdovers.  If you have any suggestions for shift plans that you think should be considered, please submit them to police_shiftquestions@co.pg.md.us.

Q: If a 12-hour shift is selected will an officers spend their days off in court?

A: The Department is aware of this concern and is already in the process creating digital subpoena platform utilizing Orion. Most agencies that utilize a 12-hour shift allow officers to select their court days online, so they can attend court while they are working. We are still working out some logistical issues based on how the data file provided by the State interacts with the system, but we have seen some positive strides in the past few weeks and hope to have this available in the coming months.

Q: Will the schedule change impact other Bureaus besides BOP?

A: This schedule change is specifically designed to benefit our patrol staffing. We recognize that changes to other bureau schedules may be needed and those issues will be addressed in the near future. As the largest bureau, we are beginning to address schedule changes where they would have the most benefit for the officers, department, and community. That happens to be BOP.

Q: Under the Pittman 12-hour shift and rotating 8 hours shift there will be an additional four hours per pay period, what will be done with these additional hours?

A: These hours could be used in serval ways all would be negotiated between the FOP and the County Government. The options include overtime payment, training day or used as leave to apply to days for court especially for officers working midnights. All these opinions would be negotiated with the FOP.

Q: How will the Department address fatigue for officers working the midnight shift under the 12-hour Pitman schedule. 

A: Rest prior to court for officers working the midnight shift has always been a challenge for the Department. Under the 12-hour Pittman schedule the Department would rely on supervisors to monitor officer fatigue. If and when an officer advises their supervisor that they spent their day in court and had not had the time to sleep, a supervisor would be expected to adjust the officer’s hours for day and make the proper timecard entries. For instance, if an officer’s shift was from 2100-0800 hrs., as supervisor could adjust the timecard in Kronos to 2300-1100 hrs.

Q:  How will this impact shift differential and court time?

A: The FOP has and will continue to track all the implications of this proposed schedule change as it correlates to mandatory bargaining items such as pay and benefits. There are a variety of ways these new benefits could be achieved, and our positions in support of these increases will be made known and discussed with the membership at FOP meetings along the way.    

Q:  If we transition to a new shift plan and eliminate a shift, what will happen to the remaining Sergeants and Lieutenants.

A: This has not been determined. We wanted input from our officers on which shift before a determination is made. Please made sure that you participate in the survey to make sure your preference is considered. These positions will remain active, but the duties have yet to be determined.