24 hour police shifts?!

[demmiblue]

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Harper Woods studies 24-hour police shifts
City hopes plan would save money without sacrificing safety for residents, officers.

Darren A. Nichols / The Detroit News

HARPER WOODS -- The city is considering a proposal -- unlike any in the country -- to add 24-hour shifts for its police officers to save money and put more cops on the streets.

The city, which has a population of more than 13,000 and covers about 2.6 square miles, has lost $600,000 to $700,000 a year from state revenue-sharing funds alone and is looking at ways to stretch its money and keep its neighborhoods safe.

"We want to assure the public that the safety and well-being of (residents) and officers is paramount to any decision we make," Police Chief Randolph Skotarczyk said.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081002/METRO01/810020392/1006/rss01


Sounds pretty unsafe to me, especially if the police officers that are driving the streets are the ones who will have to work 24 hour shifts! No doubt lack of sleep will cause major errors in judgment.

[billyoc]

1. Must not be one of those states where it's illegal to drive when you're overtired.

:eyes:

[YOY]

2. REALLY bad move... I foresee some cranky(-er) cops making bad decisions.

Really phenomenally bad move.

[demmiblue]

3. Yep... although the article does not specify which types of police officers,

such as desk workers, dispatchers, etc., it sounds like this plan is a lawsuit waiting to happen!

[Blue Diadem]

4. Besides being dangerous, that's just crazy.

It's not good for the citizens and it's not good for the cops.

[JohnyCanuck]

5. Maybe it's time to call in the army for some help policing the "Homeland".

Why Is a US Army Brigade Being Assigned to the 'Homeland'?

by Glenn Greenwald

Several bloggers today have pointed to this obviously disturbing article from Army Times, which announces that "beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the <1st Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division> will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North" -- "the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities." The article details:

They'll learn new skills, use some of the ones they acquired in the war zone and more than likely will not be shot at while doing any of it.

They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack. . . .

The 1st BCT's soldiers also will learn how to use "the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded," 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them.

"It's a new modular package of nonlethal capabilities that they're fielding. They've been using pieces of it in Iraq, but this is the first time that these modules were consolidated and this package fielded, and because of this mission we're undertaking we were the first to get it."

The package includes equipment to stand up a hasty road block; spike strips for slowing, stopping or controlling traffic; shields and batons; and, beanbag bullets.

"I was the first guy in the brigade to get Tasered," said Cloutier, describing the experience as "your worst muscle cramp ever -- times 10 throughout your whole body". . . .

The brigade will not change its name, but the force will be known for the next year as a CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF (pronounced "sea-smurf").

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/09/25-7?page=5

[VP505]

6. Great , instead of having an

occasional grumpy Cop, now the whole damned force will be tired, irritable and grumpy.

[ogneopasno]

7. Why not? Medical interns do it.

People seem to think that's just part of the job.

[NNN0LHI]

10. Hospitals have beds just for Medical interns to sleep in when they are not needed

I don't want the cops sleeping on the job.

Don

[demmiblue]

12. Exactly...

In the article, the City Manager tries to equate this with the fire department (which also uses 24 hour shifts). However, fire fighters have a lot of down time.

[YOY]

16. The CM here really isn't doing his homework on pro-active service versus re-active

n/t

[RaleighNCDUer]

15. Yup. Cops are a pro-active force, while medical interns and

fire fighters are re-active. The primary job of a cop is to be seen, even when there is nothing going on. When there is nothing going on an intern or firefighter can be napping. A cop napping in his patrol car winds up as fodder for joke photos in the newspaper.

[anigbrowl]

27. Yes, and that's stupid as well

I have a fair bit of experience working crazy long shifts, and I think that people's judgment goes out the window after about 12-15 hours - after that point they're working on autopilot and if something really unexpected come up they are overwhelmed by teh stupid (sic).

[ogneopasno]

29. My comment was more against long shifts in general

than defending them. I know exactly what you're saying.

[notadmblnd]

8. It has been my experience here in Michigan that when a town/city can no longer afford

their police departments, they contract out law enforcement to the County. I also wonder if threatening to do something like this (make officers work 24 hour shifts); isn't another way of attempting to privatize departments with companies like CACI or Blackwater?

[NNN0LHI]

9. Truck drivers are limited to driving 11 hours a day for a reason

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/11/AR2007121102194.html

[Historic NY]

11. The article is deceptive...its making them Public Safety officers..

which is a combination of police & fire service combined. The concept of combined duties has been used in many communities.

[demmiblue]

14. How does that work?

Does that mean they work a partial shift as a police officer and a partial shift as a fire fighter?

After reading your response, I guess the comment that got me was, "The officers are busier and busier out there. (But) we do not want to jeopardize the safety of our citizens. It hasn't been tried anywhere. It's new."

Hopefully I am wrong with my initial interpretation!

[indypaul]

22. It has been tried before

and most of the cities and towns that did so
gave it up as unworkable. Can't recall a
specific incident but believe Cairo, IL was one of
them.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

13. EXTREMELY unsafe!

There was a terrible incident in the SF bay area a while back where a police officer fell asleep at the wheel of his vehicle and plowed into several cyclists. Absolutely tragic.

[cabluedem]

21. Impared driving such as this should be treated like drunk driving. I hope the officer was charged...

for manslaughter. There is NO excuse for falling asleep at the wheel.

[The 12th Guru]

17. Rather a cop a little beat than my Surgeon

A cop parked on a highway takin a nap keeps the roads safer by speeders just being less moronic and stop weaving and trying to save 5 minutes and putting peoples lives in danger cause they are doin this while on the phone.

[demmiblue]

19. Huh?

I am not sure how you equate this with a surgeon.

[TransitJohn]

18. I can't see their union not fighting this.

It's a no go.

[DemoTex]

20. I have but one question: Is Dunkin Donuts opened 24 hours?

Know what I mean, Vern?

[demmiblue]

26. Don't sully Vern's name!

May he RIP!

[DemoTex]

28. Perhaps Vern lives on. Vern is the camera.

Ernest P. Worrell died with the great Jim Varney. Well, technically so did Vern if he was a figment of Ernest P. Worrell's imagination, although it is argued that Vern was the camera:

"Vern" was never seen or heard, and the spots were structured in such a way as for the viewer to fulfill that role, as Varney looked directly in the camera whenever Vern was addressed. Ernest's seemingly pointless conversation with Vern (which actually was less of a conversation, and more closely resembled soliloquy due to Vern never responding) inevitably rambled around to a favorable description of the sponsor's product, followed by his signature close, "KnoWhutImean?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_P._Worrell

Ernest P. Worrell (speaking to Vern)

[flvegan]

23. A population of 13,000 with 2,800 people arrested annually?

Doesn't that seem a bit...high?

[csziggy]

30. Wonder if they really meant 2,800 arrests per year rather than arresting 2800 people?

They could have 14 people who got arrested 2,000 times each. Repeat offenders and all that.... :silly:

[1awake]

24. This is silly..

When I was a "boot" (rookie), they use to make us work for 2-3 days straight without sleeping until we passed out from exhaustion. It wasn't safe then.. it sure as hell wouldnt be safe if allowed.

[demmiblue]

25. I don't quite understand.

You were made to work 48-72 hours without sleep?

You claim it isn't safe, yet you call it silly? Please explain.

I knew someone who went through the police academy, and this wasn't her experience.