Top 16 How Many Hours A Day Does A Cop Work Quick Answer

You are looking for information, articles, knowledge about the topic nail salons open on sunday near me how many hours a day does a cop work on Google, you do not find the information you need! Here are the best content compiled and compiled by the Chewathai27.com team, along with other related topics such as: how many hours a day does a cop work how many hours do detectives work, how many hours do part time police officers work, how many hours do lapd officers work, police 4 on 4 off schedule, Write about your ordinary day as a police officer, cop shifts, do police officers have flexible hours, police 10-hour shifts

Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers work a minimum of 40 hours a week. They may work night patrol and often work on weekends and holidays. In addition, Officers are often required to be on-call. Some agencies offer a work schedule where Officers work 10-hour shifts, four days a week.

What’s a Cop’s Work Schedule Like?

Contents

Detail Occupational Guide

Article author: www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov
Reviews from users: 17242 Ratings
Top rated: 4.8
Lowest rated: 1
Summary of article content: Articles about
Detail Occupational Guide
Updating …
Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for
Detail Occupational Guide
Updating
Table of Contents:

What Would I Do

Working Conditions

Will This Job Fit Me

What Wages and Benefits Can I Expect

What is the Job Outlook

How Do I Qualify

Where Would I Work

Finding a Job

Where Could This Job Lead

Related Occupations

Other Sources

For the Career Professional

Google™ Translate Disclaimer

Detail Occupational Guide

Article author: www.quora.com
Reviews from users: 502 Ratings
Top rated: 4.1
Lowest rated: 1
Summary of article content: Articles about Error 403 (Forbidden) Police work shifts. Shift assignments are based on seniority. The type of shift varies from department to departmental cover 7/24. Some do three different 8 … …
Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for Error 403 (Forbidden) Police work shifts. Shift assignments are based on seniority. The type of shift varies from department to departmental cover 7/24. Some do three different 8 …
Table of Contents:

Error 403 (Forbidden)

Article author: www.indeed.com
Reviews from users: 14847 Ratings
Top rated: 4.6
Lowest rated: 1
Summary of article content: Articles about Q&A: What Are the Working Hours of a Police Officer? | Indeed.com For patrol officers, the most common schedule is working four days per week, 10 hours per day. This schedule proves overlap so that there is … …
Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for Q&A: What Are the Working Hours of a Police Officer? | Indeed.com For patrol officers, the most common schedule is working four days per week, 10 hours per day. This schedule proves overlap so that there is … Explore what traditional police officer hours are, the variety of shifts a police officer can work and the different activities they do while on patrol.
Table of Contents:

What are traditional police officer hours

What is an example of a police officer’s schedule

What do police officers do during their shifts

What situations do police officers encounter during their shifts

How long can a police officer’s shift be

What are other factors to consider about a police officer’s hours

Explore more articles

Q&A: What Are the Working Hours of a Police Officer? | Indeed.com

Article author: www.police1.com
Reviews from users: 33050 Ratings
Top rated: 3.8
Lowest rated: 1
Summary of article content: Articles about The pros and cons of different police shift schedules Most law enforcement agencies operate on a 24/7 basis and since 10-hour shifts do not dive into 24 as well as 8- and 12-hour shifts, there is … …
Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for The pros and cons of different police shift schedules Most law enforcement agencies operate on a 24/7 basis and since 10-hour shifts do not dive into 24 as well as 8- and 12-hour shifts, there is … To address staffing issues, police agencies are looking at different shift lengths, but change can cause problems for officers
Table of Contents:

Police1 Top 5

Command Staff – Chiefs Sheriffs

Find New Products

Detail Occupational Guide

Google™ Translate Disclaimer ×

This Google™ translation feature, provided on the Employment Development Department (EDD) website, is for informational purposes only.

The web pages currently in English on the EDD website are the official and accurate source for the program information and services the EDD provides. Any discrepancies or differences created in the translation are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes. If any questions arise related to the information contained in the translated website, please refer to the English version.

The EDD is unable to guarantee the accuracy of this translation and is therefore not liable for any inaccurate information or changes in the formatting of the pages resulting from the translation application tool.

Forms and publications provided on the EDD website cannot be translated using Google™ Translate. Some forms and publications are translated by the department in other languages. For those forms, visit the Online Forms and Publications section.

More Information

Q&A: What Are the Working Hours of a Police Officer?

Finding a job Q&A: What Are the Working Hours of a Police Officer?

Q&A: What Are the Working Hours of a Police Officer?

By Indeed Editorial Team Published March 22, 2021 Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email Copy to Clipboard

The role of a police officer is to keep people and communities safe, though no two days are the same when working with the public. Police officers have non-traditional hours and may experience a variety of shifts throughout their careers. If you’re considering a job as a police officer, it’s important to learn what types of hours you can expect to work. In this article, we explore what regular police officer hours are, the variety of shifts a police officer can work and the types of situations they encounter while on patrol.

Related: How To Become a Police Officer

What are traditional police officer hours?

Police officers normally work full-time hours, and schedules often include long daily shifts. Some departments and agencies have traditional 40-hour workweeks for patrol officers, with five consecutive eight-hour shifts followed by two days off. Others deploy a variation of shortened workweeks with longer shifts, like four 10-hour days or three 12-hour days, for example.

Because law enforcement agencies operate and protect communities 24 hours per day, seven days a week, a police officer’s hours can vary depending on their department, agency, union and location. You may encounter a variety of shift scheduling throughout your career, including:

10-hour or 12-hour shifts: Longer shift hours mean fewer actual workdays in a workweek.

Monthly deployment plans: Based on seniority selections, the officers working with a department longest get more control over their schedule.

Three-month or six-month shift rotations: You may have a set schedule for several months in a row, then switch to another shift schedule.

Rotating days off: Rather than having set days off, like many jobs, you might have weekly rotating days off as a police officer. For example, you may have Monday and Tuesday off one week and Tuesday and Wednesday off the following week.

Shift-start bidding: You can put in for your preferred start time for a shift, though awards often go in seniority order within a department.

For patrol officers, the most common schedule is working four days per week, 10 hours per day. This schedule provides overlap so that there is always patrol coverage, and it features everyone on the roster working at least one day a week in the office for training, court appearances, administrative assignments and other tasks. Giving each officer a separate day in the office lets them complete their work without compromising the number of officers on active patrol.

If you prefer to work a standard 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule, Monday through Friday, prepare to put in many years of seniority first. Additionally, some departments and agencies may not have this shift as an option. With any shift schedule, expect to work nights, weekends, holidays and on-call shifts as a police officer. You may have day shifts one week, night shifts the next week and evenings the week after that, and then you might begin the rotation over again.

What is an example of a police officer’s schedule?

Many people refer to police officer shifts as watches. There is usually a first, second and third watch to cover a 24-hour period. Here is an example of what shift work may look like in a department or agency:

Let’s say that patrol officers in a specific agency operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round on a rotating basis, including nights, weekends and holidays. Officers might work one of three nine-hour shifts:

First watch: 4 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Second watch: 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Third watch: 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

These officers work four days in a row, enjoy two days off and then start the rotation again, which results in over 40 hours per seven days. These extra hours get tracked and transferred to a paid time off bank, similar to vacation time, to use throughout the year.

Read more: Shift Schedules: Examples and Explanations

What do police officers do during their shifts?

Police officers complete a variety of tasks during their shifts, though their responsibilities may vary depending on their specific roles, such as patrol officer or detective. At the start of their shift, an officer might:

Attend roll call: Officers for a certain shift gather for up to 30 minutes to check in, learn about any special assignments or tasks that need their attention, get updates on current cases and receive details about “be on the lookout” (BOLO) alerts.

Inspect their patrol car: At the beginning of their shifts, officers typically spend a few minutes checking their tires, electronic equipment and other safety elements of their vehicles, such as flares, first aid kits and fire extinguishers.

Contact dispatch: When an officer is ready to start patrol, they contact their dispatcher to let them know that they’re in service and ready for duty.

Throughout the rest of their shift, a police officer may have the following responsibilities:

Writing reports for traffic violations, accidents, arrests or other occurrences

Filing reports turned in by the end of each shift

Responding to 911 calls

Being a visible presence within the community to help deter crime

Interacting with neighbors and building rapport

Investigating crime scenes

Providing backup to other officers and first responders

Dealing with lost, stolen or found property

Patrolling assigned areas

Taking witness statements

Conducting arrests when necessary

Handling on-view incidents, which are situations you see happening

Staying alert at all times and thinking tactically to reduce risk

Related: 12 Types of Police Department Jobs

What situations do police officers encounter during their shifts?

No matter what time of day they work, police officers may encounter a variety of situations on the job, including:

Traffic stops

Car accidents

Theft

Missing persons

Domestic disputes

Welfare checks

Death notifications

How long can a police officer’s shift be?

There currently are no state or federal mandates for how long a police officer’s shift can be, as the needs and capabilities of various departments and agencies vary drastically. For example, smaller departments with fewer officers may rely on overtime to fill shift coverage.

A full-time workweek is 40 hours per week by law, though as essential workers, police officers can legally work more and earn overtime pay. The specific department or a police union typically sets the rules for overtime:

Nonunion departments: The administration of a department without a union determines hour shifts or restrictions for its officers.

Unionized departments: Most police forces have unions, and hours, shifts and overtime are part of the agreed-upon contract between the police agency and its officers. Unions typically oppose restrictions on the number of hours worked.

Some departments may allow an officer to work up to 18 hours in a 24-hour period. However, balancing the need to staff shifts with providing adequate rest is vital, and law enforcement takes fatigue seriously. Studies in the field show that 10-hour shifts provide the best quality of work-life balance for police officers, with officers getting more sleep than those with traditional eight-hour shifts. Advocates for more standardized hours suggest limiting officers to only 14 hours per day with mandated rest periods on longer shifts.

What are other factors to consider about a police officer’s hours?

Here is some other helpful information that pertains to police officers and the hours that they work:

What Does a Police Officer’s Schedule Look Like?

Share This With Your Mates!

238 shares Share 127

Tweet

Pin 111

LinkedIn

Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links, meaning we receive a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, but this is at no additional cost to you. Please read our disclosure and privacy statement for more info.

Some people have no idea what a typical schedule looks like for police officers. Others might know the logistics of it and are unsure if they are able to do it, whilst some think they know what those twelve-hour shifts entail, but may be a fair way off. Those that do understand it, know it takes a special person to maximise a police officers daily routine.

Police officers work unusual and often long hours. For some, dealing with these odd hours is easier than it is for others. Maintaining a healthy balance between work, exercise, friends and family can be difficult. With a little extra discipline though, it’s not impossible.

Police Officer’s Schedule Breakdown

Majority of law enforcement officers are slotted out to work a forty hour work week. These hours can, and usually do include working nights, holidays and weekends.

Getting held over for overtime is not out of the ordinary either. Because of the vital nature of police officer duties, shift work, unsocial hours and emergency call-outs are part of the job.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Here are some advantages to working these hours and also a post we wrote about the pros and cons of an alternative schedule.

Shift Variations

Very few police agencies have their officers on eight hour shifts. For those that do however, they are working five days a week like the normal 9-5 working class does.

They most likely, however, do not have their weekend on a Saturday and Sunday and a lot probably work night shift where they go into work before sundown and leave work late into the night.

Other agencies function on a ten hour shift, sometimes with a “swing” shift. This means that there will be people working the night shift, people working an afternoon “swing” shift, and officers working a day shift. Each agency runs their hours a little differently, but this seems to be the norm for those on “tens”. This does mean however that these police officers will work four days in a row and then get three days off.

Interested in learning more about the swing shift? Check out this post we wrote all about this unique shift which may suit you perfectly!

The most common shift though is the twelve hour shift rotation.

With this, typically, there will just be a day and a night shift, also known as the “alpha” and a “bravo” shift. They will rotate in and out, with different squads coming in at different times.

An example might be day shift has three separate start times with three separate morning briefings at 5am, 6am and 7am. Night shift will follow suit with three briefings starting at 5pm, 6pm and 7pm.

The nice part about these twelve hour shifts is that one week, you might work three days with four days off, and the next week you will work four days with three days off. Plenty of time to space out and enjoy some rest at home!

Typical Police Officer’s Sleep Schedule

Both day and night shifts impact your sleep schedule in different ways.

If you are on days, you may be starting at 5am, which means that depending on how long it takes for you to get ready in the morning and how far away you live, we know some who wake at 3:30 am to go to work. This calls for an early bedtime to get the recommended 7-9 hours. Especially considering you need all the sleep you can get to make it twelve hours for three or four days in a row.

On the flip side, nights impacts your sleep schedule from working against your circadian rhythm. On days that you work, you may not be jumping into bed until 8am or 9am, which means you will be sleeping until at least 4pm or 5pm to get the appropriate amount of hours.

If you’re struggling with night shift, we can help. Here are some links to posts we wrote:

When is There Time to Keep up with Day-to-Day Life?

Keeping up with errands, doctors’ appointments and day-to-day life can become very tricky, especially if you work 12 hours a day.

On day shift, you are working during the hours when errands and appointments can be tended to, sometimes until after those places of business are closed. This is where you must maximize your time off and take advantage of the time away from the office.

Night and swing shifts also pose the same challenges, however, you are available during the day for a period. This is a big positive and we see plenty of people really maximize this time before or after work. The key, however, is to make sure you look after yourself and don’t get sick from poor sleeping habits.

Adjusting to a shift work schedule can be interesting. Find out how to not only adjust to your new schedule but how to really flourish. See How Do You Adapt to Shift Work? 7 Tips to Transition Quickly.

Holidays

Depending on your set scheduled days to work, you may end up working holidays.

If you stay on the same shift year after year, you will get those holidays off the next year around, or the year after that, depending on what day of the week holidays fall on each year.

This can be deemed a negative aspect of the job for some, but, usually officers do receive holiday pay. This is comparable to overtime or time and a half. So depending on how social you might be, the extra money could be a real positive.

Requesting Time Off as a Police Officer

Requesting time off as a newer, more junior officer can prove to be difficult. For majority of police departments, requesting time off requires your submission to go through an approval process up the chain of command, starting with your sergeant.

Days off are usually granted based on staffing for that particular day and seniority. So, if enough officers are scheduled to work and be present, you might be ok. However, there is a magic number of officers that must be staffed each day. So you might find it tough to get everything you seek early on, but know this does get better should you stick it out.

If the number of officers working on a particular day falls short due to officers calling in sick, the department will give out overtime to officers that want to work on their day off to fill in the gap. Maintaining ample staffing is paramount each and every day.

Related post: Female Police Officer Interview: True Insight Into The Force

Impact on Social Life

Let’s briefly touch on your general social life. Keeping up with family and friends may become slightly difficult as you work strange and long hours.

You will typically be exhausted after working a twelve hour shift (let’s not even mention being held overtime for a late call or arrest) and when you get home, you may find yourself just needing to chill without the social interaction.

However, make sure you communicate your situation with those closest to you so that they understand what you are going through. You’ll be surprised how understanding they’ll become and accommodating to scheduling catchups around when you can meet.

Be prepared to miss out on birthdays, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo or days filled with activities. But get on the front foot and asked your closest to celebrate with you on a time that works for everyone. A party isn’t a party without the people you want to have there!

Impact on Relationships

Your significant other may get a little miffed at times, especially if they are a traditional 9-5 worker. Loneliness might settle in with your spouse being home alone at night while their partner goes and works the night shift. However, we’ve got a great article here which details how you can maximise your time apart if forced into this situation.

Again, accomodate each other and maximise the time you do have together. Treasure the moments just sitting on the couch, whilst enjoying each others company.

This can go a long way to having shift work not impact your relationship negatively.

This post might also be helpful too – How to Keep Your Relationship Alive When Working Opposite Shifts

If you’re thinking about becoming a police officer, below is a video you may find helpful.

Summary: What Does a Police Officer’s Schedule Look Like?

To wrap up, it is fair to say that for some, the schedule works. It’s definitely not the worst schedule in the world, especially if you get a nice chunk of days off in between your working days.

The pay, gratification, other officers you work with and the job do outweigh the negative aspects of the randomness associated with scheduling.

It is important to remember that as you become a more seasoned officer and gain seniority within the department, you are more likely to get the exact shift that you want and that best suits your life. You might be forced to work that dreaded shift for six months, a year, or a few years, but be sure to stick it out.

In the end, a police officer’s schedule may be tough, but those we speak with feel blessed to serve their city and community each and every day. The smile that bring to their face, goes beyond missing the odd day socializing.

Before you go, if you want some guidance on staying in shape whilst in the force – this blog will help!

Cheers,

Emma

Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links, meaning we receive a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, but this is at no additional cost to you. Please read our disclosure and privacy statement for more info.

Emma @ The Other Shift Hey there! I’m Emma Smith a passionate, Registered Nurse from Australia. Together with my husband Daniel, we run The Other Shift. Our sole aim is to help shift workers and those on unusual schedules find balance between work and life. I understand the challenges of fitting in exercise, maintaining relationships and getting enough quality sleep, but I’m excited to show you that it’s possible to do shift work and still thrive. Read more about us and our story here.

Recent Posts

So you have finished reading the how many hours a day does a cop work topic article, if you find this article useful, please share it. Thank you very much. See more: how many hours do detectives work, how many hours do part time police officers work, how many hours do lapd officers work, police 4 on 4 off schedule, Write about your ordinary day as a police officer, cop shifts, do police officers have flexible hours, police 10-hour shifts

Top 16 How Many Hours A Day Does A Cop Work Quick Answer

Detail Occupational Guide

Error 403 (Forbidden)

Q&A: What Are the Working Hours of a Police Officer? | Indeed.com

The pros and cons of different police shift schedules

FAQs • Hays, KS • CivicEngage

Police Officer【Job Description, Salary & Benefits】

how many hours a day does a cop work

10-Hour Shifts Offer Cost Savings and Other Benefits to Law Enforcement Agencies | National Institute of Justice

Detail Occupational Guide

Q&A: What Are the Working Hours of a Police Officer?

What Does a Police Officer’s Schedule Look Like?

Leave a Comment Cancel reply