Honolulu Police Department looks to expand 3-day workweek

The three days a week, 12 hours a day work schedule is returning to the Hono­lulu Police Department in the summer following a nine-month pilot project that showed increased patrol staffing and improved morale, Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan told police commissioners Wednesday.

However, the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, in an email to members Wednesday that was acquired by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, wrote that at a labor-management meeting, HPD administration and SHOPO “agreed to extend the current 3/12 pilot program in Districts 4 and 5 until July of 2023.”

“No negotiation was held about a department-wide 3/12 work schedule,” wrote SHOPO Honolulu Chapter Chair Nick Schlapak. “Also, in that meeting, HPD was reminded that any desire to implement a new work schedule for the patrol elements was a negotiable item requiring SHOPO’s approval. We will continue to keep you informed on the status of the issue.”

The note follows a Dec. 13 email where Schlapak told members that on Dec. 9, SHOPO informally “heard back from HPD that the Department was interested in a dialogue regarding extending the pilot program into 2023.”

“Later that same day, however, HPD also communicated to our membership their intent to change the work schedule of all patrol elements to a 3/12 program, beginning sometime in the middle of next year,” wrote Schlapak.

SHOPO wants one year of data from the pilot program to evaluate its impact and effectiveness.

Logan told the Star- Advertiser that HPD will be negotiating with SHOPO to reach an agreement on the 3/12 work schedule.

“It was more than six months ago that SHOPO came to the HPD Administration to pilot the 3/12 Work Schedule, and that pilot program is what I based my decision on,” said Logan. “My decision is the HPD Administration’s position going into these negotiations.”

Logan told commissioners Wednesday that he and his leadership team evaluated five factors before deciding to expand the 3/12 work schedule from District 5 (Kalihi) and District 4 (Windward Oahu) to the entire department.

Morale, flexibility, enforcement statistics, staffing and supervisory control were weighed while evaluating results of the pilot program. Logan noted that morale improved, staffing of patrol beats was near 90%, and the opportunities created for officers and their families by the flexibility of the schedule were highlights of the pilot program.

Police did see a decrease in drunk driving arrests but Logan is not sure that is completely attributable to the schedule. Start and end times affect enforcement, Logan said, and he will leave it to district commanders to set the platoon schedule for their officers.

“Start and end time will impact stats,” said Logan, speaking to commissioners Wednesday. “Leadership in the districts understand how statistics will play into the future of helping the community and the district solve its problems.”

The pilot program was scheduled to run from April to June, but Logan extended it through Dec. 31.

Commission Vice Chair Gerard “Jerry” Gibson asked Logan if officers will need more supervision, and Logan replied they will not.

Commissioner Kenneth Silva asked Logan if it will affect an officer’s ability to work special duty assignments, a tool that many police officers rely on to earn additional pay. Logan said that there will be nuances to navigate for officers once they start working the 3/12 schedule.

“You may not be able to work special duty on certain days like you used to,” said Logan, in response to Silva’s question. “Those four days off are their four days off. If they want to work special duty and overtime they can schedule that.”

Commissioner Carrie K.S. Okinaga asked about officer exhaustion and whether officers working second, department-approved jobs in addition to a 3/12 schedule would be facing tough conditions.

“All your beat partners rely on you. If you are not 100%, how do you make sure everyone is safe and secure … as well as the public?” Logan asked. “What is your well-being? It’s something for us to take a look at.”

Logan said ensuring officers have ample time to meet their obligations to their family is a priority, and a big factor in deciding to take the schedule departmentwide. He acknowledges that 12 hours a day is a lot of time to be away from family and loved ones but maintains that the four days off will be beneficial for families.

SHOPO has advocated for the work schedule as a way to improve staffing of beats in Oahu’s eight patrol districts and reduce the physical and emotional strain experienced by officers forced to work overtime to maintain minimum patrol staffing levels.

The 3/12 schedule started in HPD’s busiest patrol district in 1997 as a way to boost morale. Every other week officers work four, 12-hour shifts to make up the hours that are normally spread out over a five-days-a-week, eight-hours-a-day schedule.

Some officers liked the schedule because it allowed them to pursue second jobs, advance education or spend more time with family. The 3/12 schedule was extended to all eight patrol districts in 2000. Former HPD Chief Boisse P. Correa did away with it in January 2006.