Public Safety
Long shifts raise concerns for law enforcement
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By CHEYNA ROTH
Capital News Service
LANSING — Although many police officers enjoy the perks of a 12-hour shift, this popular schedule may not be what’s best for officer safety and for the communities they serve, a law enforcement leader says. In many health and public safety jobs — police, firefighters, doctors and nurses — someone has to be on the job 24 hours a day. Such “shift work” is regularly divided into 10- or 12-hour shifts, often to save money. Twelve-hour shifts result in officers working 84 hours every two weeks, instead of 80 hours, said Robert Stevenson, executive director for the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police. This means fewer employees, which saves on health and insurance benefits.