Schedule Matters: The Movement to Compressed Work Weeks

The compressed work week (CWW) is a schedule in which officers work longer but fewer days in a work cycle. These schedules are not new in policing; since the early 1970s, this topic has been the focus of numerous articles in Police Chief magazine and in other professional publications. As early as 1970, an article appeared in Police Chief magazine regarding a pilot test of the 10-hour shift in Huntington Beach, California. Authors of a separate article regarding four-day workweeks in Inglewood, California, which was published in Police Chief magazine in 1979, noted that many law enforcement agencies had established, experimented with, or considered a four-day workweek. In the 1970s and 1980s, agencies that had adopted compressed work schedules reported the various advantages and disadvantages to them. Most found that officers preferred them; some reported advantages such as reductions in overtime and sick leave; but some also reported concerns about fatigue and supervision. Nevertheless, much of the early findings were based on anecdotal information and limited scientific evidence.