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MEMORANDUM TO: All Certified Personnel of the Paris Police Department FROM: Karl Louis, Chief of Police SUBJECT: Implementation ora Variable 12~Hour Shift Plan for Ali Patrol Personnel DATE: February 4, 2003 I have studied a new patrol-staffing plan which would enable patrol officers to work twelve (12) hour shifts. Many other police departments have gone to this type of work schedule. We would need to go to a two-week work schedule so that we can work forty-four (44) hours one week and thirty-six (36) hours the second week without impacting eligibility for overtime. Our work week would consist of working three (3) days of twelve (12) hour shifts the first week with one (1) eight (8) hour day and three (3) days of twelve (12) hour shifts the second week, and overtime would be paid for hours worked over 80 hours during the two week period. With our continued ever-increasing work load and stress the officers are under, I feel that this system would produce a better police officer for the City of Paris and would really help our morale. The officers in every department we checked with said they "loved it and would never go back to the old shifts." In order to implement this work schedule we need to create one (1) new Sergeant's and one (1) new Corporal's position. This would not require hiring two new officers for these positions. We already have candidates for these positions on existing promotional lists. Before we can implement this work schedule, State law found at Section 142.00150) of the Local Government Code also requires a majority of all certified personnel within the department (and not just patrol officers) to sign a written waiver of the language found in Section 142.0015, at subsection (f), which prevents the City from requiring police officers to work more hours during a calendar week than the City's nom~al forty (40) hour work week unless an emergency arises, or unless a majority sign the written waiver, thereby essentially agreeing to the revised work week. I am enclosing for your consideration a waiver document which would meet the requirements o fState law. I am asking that you consider the document and return it to me by 3:00 p.m., Friday, February 7, 2003, reflecting your agreement or lack of agreement with the proposal. I am proposing this change for the good of the entire department, but would desire to implement the program only ifa sizeable majority of the department is convinced they would prefer this arrangement. Therefore, I welcome your reaction to my proposal, whether to accept the waiver or reject it. If you are at all confused by this proposal, or require additional infom~ation, please contact my office at your earliest opportunity. /Iw