Effects of 13-Hour 20-Minute Work Shifts on Law Enforcement Officers' Sleep, Cognitive Abilities, Health, Quality of Life, and Work Performance

Abstract

To determine the impact of a longer-than-average compressed workweek on police officers’ sleep, cognitive abilities, health, quality of life, and work performance, two precincts of the Phoenix Police Department participated in a 9-month, repeated-measures study. The experimental precinct worked three consecutive 13-hr 20-min (13:20-hr) shifts per week for 6 months, while the control precinct worked four 10-hr shifts per week. Officers were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Psychomotor Vigilance Test, STROOP Color-Word test, Quality of Life Inventory, and measures of salivary cortisol. The Phoenix Police Department provided data for Professional Standards Bureau complaints, shooting qualifications, vehicular accidents, self-initiated calls, adult bookings, field interrogations, overtime, and time off for the 6 months of the study period and the same 6 months of the previous year. Self-reported caffeine intake and shift preference were also collected. Officers working 13:20-hr shifts experienced significant (p < .05) decreases in hours of sleep, overall quality of sleep, concentration, cognitive processing, and quality of life (overall and in six of eight subareas). Significant (p < .05) increases were observed in fatigue, daytime dysfunction due to sleepiness, reaction time, anticipatory errors, and Professional Standards Bureau complaints. There were no significant differences in most indices of work performance or differences due to working day or night shifts. When officers working 13:20-hr shifts returned to 10-hr shifts, all variables returned to baseline (prestudy) levels. Officers from both precincts overwhelmingly preferred 10-hr shifts. This study indicates that there are no apparent advantages but considerable liabilities associated with 13:20-hr shifts for police officers.

A systematic review of the current evidence regarding interventions for anxiety, PTSD, sleepiness and fatigue in the law enforcement workplace

“…Three studies addressed both sleepiness and fatigue directly. Overall sleep quality and fatigue were of great concern in the study from Bell et al 51 ) ; officers working the longer shift experienced significant decreases in hours of sleep, sleep quality, concentration, cognitive processing and quality of life. The same group also experienced significant increases in fatigue, daytime dysfunction, reaction time, anticipatory errors and complaints.…”

“…The same group also experienced significant increases in fatigue, daytime dysfunction, reaction time, anticipatory errors and complaints. Most interestingly, upon returning to their regular 10 h shifts (for two months), all variables returned to pre-study levels, and officers overwhelmingly preferred the 10 h shift system51 ) . Similarly, Elliott and Lal43 ) also found poor sleep quality and fatigue severity was pervasive in the police officers working 12 h shifts.…”

“…Furthermore, 8 of the included studies offered recommendations or suggestions to ensure police officer wellbeing, with respect to fatigue or sleepiness. Three studies all briefly suggest improved roster systems could lead to significant benefits, including reduced sleep debt and less circadian disturbances44 ) , with two of them mentioning the need for planned ‘rest time’ or napping strategies if considering extended shift work43, 51 ) . One study suggested motor vehicle accident risk could be ameliorated by fatigue risk management strategies like those within the military or transportation industries42 ) .…”

An Exploration of Shift Work, Fatigue, and Gender Among Police Officers: The BCOPS Study

“…It is not possible to eliminate shift work in this occupation, but education on proper sleep hygiene along with research on the appropriate lengths of various shifts may improve officer health. For example, Bell, Verdin, Lewis, and Cassidy (2015) found that officers working three consecutive 13 hour 20 minute (13:20) shifts per week suffered from more fatigue, sleepiness, and cognitive processing problems than officers working four 10-hour shifts. Amendola, Weisburd, Hamilton, Jones, and Slipka (2011) found that officers working10-hour shifts had a significantly higher quality of work life and averaged significantly more sleep than those officers working 8- or 12-hour shifts.…”

The Impact of Interviewer Working Hours on Police Interviews with Children

“…Fatigue resulting from unpredictable or extended working hours is a factor that negatively impacts the performance of police officers (Bell et al 2015;Houdmont and Randall 2016;Scholarios et al 2017). However, the impact of fatigue on officer performance during police interviews with children is as yet unknown.…”