12-hour shifts are pretty common in 24-hour agencies. We found that approximately 41% of law enforcement departments that use PowerTime, schedule with 12-hour shifts.
While they do seem to make scheduling easier, they are not always the best for the officers.
When we went through and evaluated different scheduling trends, we found 7 consistent 12-hour shift schedules.
The seven 12 hour shift schedule examples are:
- [2 on 3 off] [2 on 2 off] [3 on 2 off]
- [4 on 3 off] [3 on 4 off] and [3 on 3 off] [4 on 4 off]
- [4 on 4 off]
- [5 on 5 off] [2 on 2 off] [5 on 2 off] [2 on 5 off]
- [2 on 2 off x2] [3 on 2 off] [2 on 4 off] [2 on 2 off] [3 on 2 off]
- [2 on 2 off] [4 on 2 off x2] [2 on 4 off x2]
- [3 on 3 off]
1.) [2 on 3 off] [2 on 2 off] [3 on 2 off]
This schedule is very common in departments throughout Pennsylvania.
We have found, however, that it is used all over the country and in many different industries.
The [2 on 3 off] [2 on 2 off] [3 on 2 off] is also known as the Pitman schedule and allows for officers to have every other weekend off.
It requires 2 squads with 2 templates each.
The templates are only 2 weeks here but they may be extended for different variations.
These 2 would cover the day squad, and then you need to make 2 more templates of basically the same thing but night shift instead of
This will cover your 24x7 requirement.
2.) [4 on 3 off] [3 on 4 off] and [3 on 3 off] [4 on 4 off]
The way this rotation works is a lot simpler than it may sound.
You only use 2, 2-week templates and 2 squads. Similar to the first example.
Departments anywhere from 25-175 people have used this schedule.
The two 12 hour shift schedule templates below show the first/day squad.
You would complete this schedule for your department by copying these two templates to make the second squad.
They will work the same days but on the night shift instead of day to cover round the clock.
3.) [4 on 4 off]
4 on 4 off is sometimes used with 10-hour shifts but most times we see it used with 12-hour shifts.
It depends on a few different things like your payroll cycle, overtime hours, etc.
This template runs 8-weeks and requires 2 templates per squad.
You only need 2 squads, because with 12-hour shifts, its only day and night shift.
These 2 templates represent the day squad. You will need to copy them for the night squad to cover 24x7.
4.) [5 on 5 off] [2 on 2 off] and [5 on 2 off] [2 on 5 off]
We have seen this rotation used in departments sized 50-75 people.
It requires 2 different templates and 2 squads. One squad
The two templates below show the rotation.
Sq. 1 = [5 on 5 off] [2 on 2 off]
Squad 2 = [5 on 2 off] [2 on 5 off]
Repeat these 2 templates with night shifts to create the second squad.
5.) [2 on 2 off x2] [3 on 2 off] [2 on 4 off] [2 on 2 off] [3 on 2 off]
This schedule is a little different.
So, instead of a night shift/squad and a day shift/squad, everyone works both.
The template runs for 4 weeks, rotating every 2 weeks between nights and days.
This schedule was used in departments sized 25-50 people.
6.) [2 on 2 off] [4 on 2 off x2] [2 on 4 off x2]
This schedule is a little simpler than the last one.
It has 2 templates and requires a night and day squad.
The templates last 4 weeks and allow for each officer to have 2 weekends off every month.
To complete this schedule you will need to create 2 more templates covering the night shift.
7.) [3 on 3 off]
This rotation is very simple - work 3 days, off 3 days. It is composed of 2, 6-week templates. The ones below show the complete day shift squad.
To cover round the clock you will need to create 2 more 6-week templates for the night shift squad.
All these examples are the basic templates and will need some tweaking depending on your department's needs.
These examples were chosen because of the number of departments that used them. We have not tried them out ourselves.
If you're looking for public safety scheduling software to handle these varying shift schedules, click below to see how PowerTime can support your agency.
