Public Image Of Police In Country Is Negative Often Seen As Insensitive: Parl Panel
The committee said it is of the considered view that the shift from an entitlement-based approach to a rights-based approach is needed for a positive change in the attitude of police personnel.
Representative image of Tamil Nadu police. Photo: PTI.
New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has expressed anguish that the public image of police across the country is negative and police are often seen as insensitive towards the common man and vulnerable sections.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Home Affairs, headed by Congress leader Anand Sharma, also noted with concern that corruption complaints were filed against some IPS officers.
The committee notes with anguish that the public image of police throughout the country is more on a negative side, it said in its report submitted to the Parliament this week.
The panel said the police are often seen as insensitive towards the common man and vulnerable sections.
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While there is no denying the fact that various reasons could be attributed to such behaviour on the part of the police, emphasis on right training in this regard is one of the ways to develop such attributes in the police personnel, it said.
The committee said it is of the considered view that the shift from an entitlement-based approach to a rights-based approach is needed for a positive change in the attitude of police personnel.
Increased Fatigue And Health Issues
While rotating schedules should be designed to reduce burnout, often they do the opposite. A study commissioned by the Chicago Police Lieutenants Association states that, officers who rotate frequently are more often fatigued, suffer increased level of sleep disorders, are more likely to have traffic accidents and are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Toronto Police To Test Changes To Officer Schedules A Move Long Disputed By Board And Union
Wendy Gillistimer
It has been a thorny issue for years, long putting the police board and the officers union at loggerheads. But in a tentative victory for the forces modernization efforts, a year-long experiment with an overhauled Toronto police shift schedule is set to launch in the new year.
Banal, bureaucratic and, well, boring though it may sound, the Toronto police shift schedule has been an intractable and long-standing problem, particularly in recent years as pressure mounts to decrease costs and increase efficiency within Canadas largest municipal police service.
The current system, called the compressed work week, is comprised of three overlapping shifts: a 10-hour day, 10-hour evening, and eight-hour night shift, a total of 28 hours for each 24-hour day. The biggest criticism of the system is that it sees roughly the same number of front-line officers patrolling the streets, no matter the time of day a set-up that doesnt account for the ebbs and flows of crime and demand.
That is not consistent with the notion of using police officers when theyre needed and where theyre needed at the most appropriate time, Mayor John Tory told reporters last week.
More effective scheduling and deployment was identified as priority in the Way Forward, Toronto polices modernization plan aimed at increasing public trust, cutting costs and embracing new technology.
Read more:
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How Long Is The Recruitment Process
The recruitment process for police officers is very complex, it is currently taking 6-9 months to complete. This period can extend if further checking or testing is required. To ensure that your application runs smoothly, please ensure that you respond to all calls and/or emails from Recruiting Services and return all paperwork at your earliest convenience.
Trying Times For Law Enforcement May Call For Alternate Work Schedules
Changing peoples work schedules is a significant disruption to not only their lives but their families as well
Police chiefs nationwide are facing challenges filling vacancies created by a higher than usual departure of officers due to in part recent civil unrest and a perceived lack of support for law enforcement from community leaders.
In Minneapolis, a Twin Cities personal injury attorney claims to represent 175 officers who are filing for disability benefits due to PTSD or other mental health issues. Departments such as Seattle, Dallas and Atlanta are experiencing similar issues. Staffing shortages can be addressed by overtime or alternate work schedules, but police leaders must review several considerations before implementing shift changes.
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Overview: Cincinnati’s Police Districts
The City of Cincinnati is divided into five Police Districts, each commanded by a captain who is responsible for operations and personnel deployment.
Police officers assigned to the districts for uniform patrol activity are generally divided into three fixed shifts. Each shift is commanded by a lieutenant. The first shift has starting times of 6:00 AM. The second shift has starting times that vary from 12:00-2:00 PM, depending upon the service demands of each individual district. The third shift has starting times that vary from 7:00-9:00 PM.
The districts provide uniformed patrols in a variety of ways. In addition to marked vehicle and foot patrols, each district contains a Mountain Bike Squad. These officers provide a full range of police services. The district efforts are supplemented by mounted and canine patrols as needed.
Each district has an investigative unit commanded by a lieutenant. This unit investigates crimes occurring within the district. When necessary, the unit coordinates these investigations with the Criminal Investigation Section of the Investigations Bureau.
Each district has a Neighborhood Liaison Unit supervised by a sergeant. The NLU is staffed with problem oriented policing officers assigned to each neighborhood in that district. These officers are the best resource when neighbors are dealing with long-term issues.
Best Police Scheduling Software Tools In 2022
Rea Regan
As the Head of Content at Connecteam, Rea is responsible for helping clients build smart, effective employee management strategies and brings years of experience and knowledge to help improve employee engagement.
As the Head of Content at Connecteam, Rea is responsible for helping clients build smart, effective employee management strategies and brings years of experience and knowledge to help improve employee engagement.
Weve lined up our top 7 picks of the best police scheduling software that will make creating your police officer schedule a simple task.
Police departments face many personnel scheduling obstacles that civilian office managers will never have to deal with. From juggling 24-hour scheduling needs and complying with minimum staffing requirements to unavailable staff due to court appearances or special duty assignmentsmanual police officer scheduling can be an absolute headache.
And while police scheduling software can be somewhat of a digital pill for this headache, many tools are outdated, complicated, or downright impossible to use.
Weve researched and lined up 7 of the best law enforcement scheduling software tools to help you turn your officer scheduling into an effortless, straightforward, and efficient operation.
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Typical Police Officers 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 youre struggling with night shift, we can help. Here are some links to posts we wrote:
Shift Changes In Policing
Studying hundreds of agencies and officers, researchers led by Dr. Karen Amendola of the Police Foundation found a major change in shift arrangements taking place. A Police Foundation survey showed a significant decrease in rotating shifts, Amendola said, with 72 percent of agencies now operating on fixed tours, compared to 54 percent in 2005.
Agencies are moving away from traditional eight-hour shifts and trying nine to 13 hours, said Amendola.
While smaller departments tend to favor eight- and 12-hour stints, larger agencies seem to prefer 10-hour tours and they may have hit the magic number.
Cops like that shift best, experience much less fatigue , and work significantly less overtime, Amendola reported.
Officers on duty 12 hours at a crack tended to be sleepier and less alert while at work, she said, and eight-hour shifts were associated with five times more overtime than 10-hour shifts and three times more than 12-hour shifts.
Citing potential safety-related fatigue problems, she warned law enforcement agencies to proceed with caution about adopting 12-hour tours, and mentioned that the reduced overtime benefits afforded by 10-hour assignments is major in an era of shrinking budgets.
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Learning From Lous Story: What You Can Do
- A challenging, shifting work schedule and a schedule where individuals routinely work the night shift can put you at risk for sleep deprivation. See Adopt Good Sleep Habits for tips on how to maximize the quantity and quality of the sleep you get.
- Understand how your bodys internal clock can help you get the most out of your sleep, even if you do not work at night or in rotating shifts. See The Drive to Sleep and Our Internal Clock in the Healthy Sleep module.
- Some workplaces have instituted policies that support the health and safety of individuals who work at night or in rotating shifts. Bright lights, nap breaks, and work hour limits can all contribute to a better work environment. For more information, see Make Changes at Work.
- Sleep deprivation, which is often a byproduct of shift work, affects not only your health, but also your judgment and the safety of others. Take the How Awake Are You? interactive challenge to find out how sleep deprivation affects reaction time.
- Sometimes shift workers may suffer from a sleep disorder that affects the quality of their sleep. If this is a concern, see When to Seek Treatment in the Healthy Sleep module.
- Sleep is one of the three pillars of health. Take sleep seriouslymake it as much of a priority as the other two pillars, good nutrition and exercise.
Impact On Social Life
Lets 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 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. Youll be surprised how understanding theyll become and accommodating to scheduling catchups around when you can meet.
Be prepared to miss out on birthdays, St. Patricks 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 isnt a party without the people you want to have there!
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Letter From The Chief Of Police
Dear Residents,
I would like to extend our gratitude and appreciation to the citizens of Mansfield for their loyal support of the Mansfield Division of Police. As a department, we continue to support our community youth programs such as D.A.R.E. and Safety Town. The Mansfield Division of Police maintains and supports the 10 regional Neighborhood Watch groups with over 1,000 registered members..
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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:
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First watch: 4 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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Second watch: 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
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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
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What Is A Certified Copy Of A Document
A certified document is a copy of a primary document, that has on it an endorsement or certificate that it is a true copy. It does not certify that the primary document is genuine, only that it is a true copy of the primary document. Authorised persons include but are not limited to currently serving police officers, registered Pharmacists, registered medical practitioners and Justice of the Peace.
How Automated Shift Bidding Solves Problems
Shift bidding can be a dreaded task for schedulers who use manual scheduling processes. Complicated excel sheets can be at risk of not formatting properly and tedious paper and pen scheduling opens up the likelihood of error. Moreover, manual shift bidding processes can create a risk of perceived favoritism in the public safety workforce. Manual shift bidding systems lack a centralized, automated way to collect and prioritize bids in compliance with agency regulations and union rules.
For these reasons, many police departments use automated shift bidding systems to save on time, cost, and reduce the chance of error. More importantly, officers and sheriffs know the automated system is fair, which further enhances their trust in the process. In the chance that an employee doesnt want the shift they receive, they know there was no favoritism or bias in the shift selecting process.
In summary, automated shift bidding systems can benefit your agency by :
- Allowing your administration team to work efficiently by allowing software to do majority of the work
- Removing all manual entries and reducing error
- Ensuring every officer and sheriff is eligible based on agency rules
- Defining sorting sequence based on seniority, preferences, and more
- Removing any consequences of perceived favoritism in the workforce
Interested in automating your shift bidding system? Reach out to one of our product specialists today to learn more.
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Health Concerns Related To Shiftwork Among Police Officers
Workers in other occupations who work nights or have rotating day, night, or evening shifts have reported several health concerns. Researchers assessed many of these same health concerns among police officers using BCOPS data.
Here are some key findings from the BCOPS study:
- Shiftwork may lead to poor sleep quality among officers.
Getting a good nights sleep is particularly important for police officers, who work and drive long hours under high-risk and uncontrolled environments and often need to make on-the-spot decisions in complex situations. Researchers found poor sleep quality was 70% higher among officers working the night shift and 49% higher among those working the afternoon shift compared with officers on day shift. Learn more about these findings.
- Shiftwork may increase job-related injuries and absences among officers.
Researchers found officers who worked night shifts had two times the rate of long-term injury leave than those who worked the afternoon and three times the rate of leave than those who worked day shifts. Learn more about these findings.
- Shiftwork may increase stress and depression among officers. Photo © Getty Images
Researchers found work-related stress was more prevalent among police officers working the afternoon or night shift than the day shift. Officers working these two shifts reported more stressful events compared with those who worked the day shift. Learn more about these findings.
- Shiftwork may affect officers immune system.
Tips To Write The Notification
Here are a few tips that can help you write a professional notification
The main purpose of changing the shift is to switch the staff to different shifts. Sometimes the shifting is done to allocate more experienced and talented staff on the shift when needed. This enables the business owner to handle the business more effectively.
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Slmpd Officers To Go On 12
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Starting in June, officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will be going on 12-hour shifts.
The longer shifts are due to concerns that crime could increase and because the department says it is short dozens of officers. The plan calls for the longer shifts to last at least through the end of September and would be on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
One St. Louis resident said he is concerned the long hours could put the public at risk.
They could be putting their lives more at risk and they could be putting other peoples lives more at risk, said South City resident Aaron Defenvaugh. I would ask that just everybody that lives in the city would be diligent to take care of their neighbors and to take care of themselves, and to be responsible and try to take some of the burden off police officers.
The memo from Chief John Hayden outlining the shift changes are below:
Commanders,
As the summer months near, bringing a likely increase in call volume and a higher propensity for violent crime, adjustments are needed to ensure we have the proper amount of personnel available to handle calls and maintain visibility. With a reduction in staffing, we must make changes that allow us to appropriately provide the service expected of us. As we all know, the weekend evening/night shifts can be some of the most challenging.
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