WS - E - Analysis of Police Department Staffing

Table 6: Recommended VPD Patrol Division Staffing Captain Shift Squad Lieutenant Sergeant Patrol Officer Operations NA 1 0600x1800 A 1 2 18 0600x1800 B 1 2 18 1800x0600 A 1 2 15 1800x0600 B 1 2 15 1 5 8 66 This staffing example increases the number of officers assigned to patrol from 46 to 66, and maintains the same level of supervision. Additionally, this sample schedule adheres to steady shifts (without rotating day and night) with 18 officers on the day shift and 15 officers on the night shift. While the VPD had an interest in rotating officers from day shift to night shift, we strongly recommended that the three-set rotation be abandoned to one of greater duration. Departments of similar size with similar shift alignments rotate schedules at an annual or semiannual basis. We urged the VPD to consider a greater length of time between shift rotations to minimize the adverse impact such rotations have on officers. The second part of the Rule of 60 suggests that 60 percent of the department should be in patrol operations. With one captain, four lieutenants, eight sergeants, and sixty-six police officers, the patrol division in the VPD would be staffed with 79 sworn officers. According to the Rule of 60, this should represent 60 percent of all sworn personnel in the department. Under these conditions, therefore, the appropriate staffing levels for sworn personnel in the VPD should be approximately 132 officers (79/.60=132). The end result of this analysis is that the VPD Patrol Division could be staffed with a minimum of 66 officers assigned to four 12-hour shifts under the model proposed. This would provide a better fit of coverage to meet service demands. Also, the proposed schedule calls for one lieutenant and two sergeants to supervise each platoon, which is consistent with the current model. 25