Orland Park trustees voted unanimously Monday night to switch to 12-hour shifts in its police department, hoping that more days off will provide officers with a better work-life balance while saving the village money in overtime costs.
Trustees approved a one-year trial agreement with the police union to see how the new shift works out. The new contract goes into effect on February 1.
The current contract calls for officers to work five eight-hour shifts each week and have two days off. The new schedule will have officers working two 12-hour days and being off five days one week and the following week working five 12-hour days and being off two days.
Mayor Jim Dodge said the issue was brought up under the previous administration “but was quashed.”
Dodge said a number of police departments are moving to the 12-hour shifts and more days off so their officers can “spend more time with families or just decompressing but also to save money on overtime.”
“Police work is a high-stress job and officers need time off to relieve that stress,” he said. “Plus, officers often make arrests toward the end of their shifts and it can take several hours to complete their reports. That’s where the additional overtime comes in.”
Police Chief Eric Rossi echoed the mayor’s comments and said switching to more days off will not only help provide more time for officers to “relax and have quality time with family” but also could work as a recruiting tool.
Rossi said the village is looking to hire a few more officers and could see officers make lateral moves from other departments that don’t offer the 12-hour shifts.
Trustee Mike Milani supported the new contract but added that he “wants to track our officers to make sure the longer hours don’t cause fatigue or impact their quality of work.”
“I’ll support it and let’s see how it works,” he said. “But I want to make sure the longer hours don’t cause undue stress or illness to our officers.
“They already have a stressful job and we don’t need to add anymore stress to their lives,” Milani said. “The officers’ mental and physical health is paramount.”