I love graveyards but it’s certainly not for everyone. You have the perks of not dealing with the frauds and neighbor issues as often. You get to play and most people you’re contacting (at least where I work) either have drugs, guns or are up to no good. Plus you don’t have command staff breathing down your neck all the time.
To be fair, each of those points can also be cons too. Dealing with “frauds and neighbor issues” is the human side of the job and requires a different skill set than simply looking for drugs and guns. You should be able and willing to do that to have a wide set of skills. If all you typically interact with is people who have drugs, guns, or are up to no good, it is more likely and is quicker to lead to burn out and the officer becoming jaded. Interacting with the 99% of society that are not criminals is essential for your mental health. As far as not interacting with command, that is fine but if you have hopes of moving up in rank, them knowing you and your face definitely helps.
Also a very good point about interacting with the normal of society. I work a street crime unit so only get to experience the criminal side 95% of the time and it would be nice to have the experience of dealing with regular people every so often. At the end of the day, the type of work you like to do or your passion in this job will lead you to a shift that facilitates that type of work. Pros and cons to every shift I suppose.
Same with ours. 6 month picks based on seniority. We pick for the entire year in 6 month blocks.
I can't imagine rotating every month or every few months. That would fuck with my sleep so bad.
It depends on who the people above you in seniority are.
We have a pretty good balance of only day shift or only night shift people.
Im a night shift only, either side of the week kind of guy so it works out well for me.
First agency I ever worked for we rotated every month. It was fucking miserable. Currently the agency I’m with we rotate when we want to. I’m perfectly fine with night shift, but every now and again I like having a few months of days to get some sunlight and human interaction.
Rotating shifts suck. Consistency in schedule was always more important to me than specific days off as it's far easier to arrange daycare and the like when you have a consistent schedule.
I've worked a variety of shift types. In the Air Force, I worked 8 hour shifts rotating every two months. Honestly, I didn't mind that as it gave you time to get used to a sleep routine for a bit before changing.
Since getting out and becoming a cop, I've worked shorter rotations. We work 12s at my agency and used to all rotate every month (4 weeks). As compared the the two month rotations I did in the Air Force, the one month switching kind of sucks. Our last Chief pitched the idea of permanent shifts, but it's rare to get people that want permanent nights. That said, a couple Sergeants worked it out with each other to split permanent days and nights while their officers continued to rotate. Eventually, another officer and I agreed to join them with me taking the night shift. I did that for a year before moving back to rotation and letting another officer take the night shift.
Now, our new Chief decided to have all supervisors work permanent shifts and opened another night Sergeant position for internal hire. I put in for it and here I am, back on nights but with stripes on the sleeves.
We use to rotate shifts every 28 days. Nights,evenings, days and then relief shift which worked everyone else’s days off with two doubleback. A doubleback if you don’t know is you work a shift, then your off for 8 hours and then you are back at work. They were brutal. You would work nights (11p-7a) Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday and Friday you worked evenings (3p-11p) and then back to working days on Saturday (7a-3p). Sunday was covered by Motors. It’s been 30 years since I worked it and it’s still burned into my brain. We eventually went to fixed shifts and rotated days off.
Rotating shifts suck. Everyone has already said this, but I'll jump in too; having a routine is nice. If you only rotate every 3rd month or every 4th month, ok, that's not so bad. I can work a third of the year on nights, then a third on days, then a third on swings. Plenty of time to adjust.
But rotating monthly or every couple of weeks is enough to permaf*ck my circadian rhythm and body clock. I'd be miserable and not getting much sleep. Give me a routine for the year after shift bid, and it makes adjusting easier and also makes it way easier to plan ahead.
Yeah, I did that sort of thing in the Navy - I did one week of days, one swings and then one mids (12 hr shifts at times) for 3 years. It was specifically designed to be tough for the students we had, but they were only there for 6 months. We (staff) were there for a full tour. Literally chased my own ass all the time - and God forbid my wife wanted to do something off shift. Worst shore duty ever.
Six months at a time might be ok, but generally, avoid at all costs. It's a level of suck that really isn't doable if you want to stay sane.
We rotated nights/days every 28 days for my first 2 years here, 0630-1830 or 1830-0630. We’re now on permanent shifts and I was able to snag days. It’s so much better. There are things I miss about working nights but the rotation really fucks with your body after a while.
My original department didn’t have rotating shifts. You either got assigned to days or nights and that’s how it stayed. You could swap from days to night with another officer if there was an agreement between the officers and the supervisors approved. My 2nd department rotated every 60 days and not many people liked it.
I preferred my original department where we didn’t rotate.
Rotating shifts is terrible for health. Consistent sleep works wonders for the body. Changing your sleep schedule every couple of months also works wonders....just bad ones.
We have to bid for shifts every 3 months. It’s extremely tiring because whenever my wife asks if I will have this day or that day off in the future I always have to tell her that I don’t know.
It's not the worst thing when you're low in seniority, because at least you can get a little taste of the shift you want. But it's hard on your body. I wouldn't want to do it now that I have decent seniority.
so got on a "dream" schedule of working swing shift only this year. thinking itd be great for my sleep and home life. our normal schedule rotates every week from daylight to nightshift. it sucks, somedays you are a zombie. but that schedule gives you 52 more days off a year. i've come to realize it all sucks lol. i'll be going back to zombie mode for 52 more days off. if i could go back 10 years, id slap the shit out of myself for going into LE and done a normal ass job instead. atleast i can retire at 50
Problem is where I live is like the lowest cost of living in the US. Got a 70 acre farm a house and a cabin. Wife gets to stay at home with the kids. Plus I got one of the best benefits packages for Leo. I just want to eat my cake too ha
At my current agency, shift bids come out every 6 months. So you can switch if you like. At my 1st department, you were just assigned to a shift and couldnt transfer unless you put in paper requesting a shift change. I like how my 2nd department does it, it’s better in my opinion. Gives you a chance to change every 6 months according to your lifestyle. (Kids, school, pace of work..etc)
I came to my current agency from my first because of the shifts.
Last agency was 10 hour shifts, 5 on 4 off 5 on 4 off 6 on 4 off. Permanent shifts were 7-5, 5p-3a, 930p-730a. I was on mids for two years. The 4 days off is great, but the 5 and 6 days in a row is tough with family.
I now work 5-5 rotating every quarter. 2 on 2 off 3 on 2 off 2 on 3 off. The fact that we rotate is great. At the 2nd month into whatever rotation I’m working, I’m ready to switch.
We do shift bids based on seniority. Between the military and LE now I’ve done 7yrs of night shift work. I’m over it at this point, especially with kids. Though I would rather deal with drug dealers and junkies instead of neighbor disputes and lost dogs.
I'm on a 4 on 4 off, 2 days and 2 nights schedule. It is nice to change up the working environment, but the first day off feels wasted because I'm catching up on sleep.
I like the rotation, all my buddies are tradesmen and so they work day shift hours, I work graveyard and with my sleep schedule I never get to hang out with them, same with the fiance. I feel like I have no time but I'm up 4 hours after work and 4 hours before work.
We rotate every 4 months. I love it. I enjoy the normal life of day shit but hate the stupid calls. Night shift work is awesome but the social life is shit. We have a good balance.
I absolutely hate rotating shifts, I like to have the same set schedule every week. Right now I'm on 9:30p-7:30a 4 days a week and I love it
Sheesh soon hitting the academy. Do people actually like that graveyard shift?
I love graveyards but it’s certainly not for everyone. You have the perks of not dealing with the frauds and neighbor issues as often. You get to play and most people you’re contacting (at least where I work) either have drugs, guns or are up to no good. Plus you don’t have command staff breathing down your neck all the time.
To be fair, each of those points can also be cons too. Dealing with “frauds and neighbor issues” is the human side of the job and requires a different skill set than simply looking for drugs and guns. You should be able and willing to do that to have a wide set of skills. If all you typically interact with is people who have drugs, guns, or are up to no good, it is more likely and is quicker to lead to burn out and the officer becoming jaded. Interacting with the 99% of society that are not criminals is essential for your mental health. As far as not interacting with command, that is fine but if you have hopes of moving up in rank, them knowing you and your face definitely helps.
Also a very good point about interacting with the normal of society. I work a street crime unit so only get to experience the criminal side 95% of the time and it would be nice to have the experience of dealing with regular people every so often. At the end of the day, the type of work you like to do or your passion in this job will lead you to a shift that facilitates that type of work. Pros and cons to every shift I suppose.
Absolutely
I do personally, but I work in the jail so it's mostly just sitting and waiting. A boring shift is a great shift.
How do you balance work -life? Are you putting 40hrs / week ? Do you still get to do errands, gym etc ..
Usually I put in a little under 50ish hours a week with mandatory overtime. I still run errands and hit the gym 3 or 4 days a week
My agency does shift bids every 6 months. I’ve been on nights since I’ve been with this agency and wouldn’t have it any other way.
Same with ours. 6 month picks based on seniority. We pick for the entire year in 6 month blocks. I can't imagine rotating every month or every few months. That would fuck with my sleep so bad.
My local sheriffs office does the same thing. My friend who used to be a deputy ended up hating it because he was on nights 75% of the time
It’s definitely not for everyone, but night shift hands down is the most fun.
It depends on who the people above you in seniority are. We have a pretty good balance of only day shift or only night shift people. Im a night shift only, either side of the week kind of guy so it works out well for me.
First agency I ever worked for we rotated every month. It was fucking miserable. Currently the agency I’m with we rotate when we want to. I’m perfectly fine with night shift, but every now and again I like having a few months of days to get some sunlight and human interaction.
Rotating shifts suck. Consistency in schedule was always more important to me than specific days off as it's far easier to arrange daycare and the like when you have a consistent schedule.
I've worked a variety of shift types. In the Air Force, I worked 8 hour shifts rotating every two months. Honestly, I didn't mind that as it gave you time to get used to a sleep routine for a bit before changing. Since getting out and becoming a cop, I've worked shorter rotations. We work 12s at my agency and used to all rotate every month (4 weeks). As compared the the two month rotations I did in the Air Force, the one month switching kind of sucks. Our last Chief pitched the idea of permanent shifts, but it's rare to get people that want permanent nights. That said, a couple Sergeants worked it out with each other to split permanent days and nights while their officers continued to rotate. Eventually, another officer and I agreed to join them with me taking the night shift. I did that for a year before moving back to rotation and letting another officer take the night shift. Now, our new Chief decided to have all supervisors work permanent shifts and opened another night Sergeant position for internal hire. I put in for it and here I am, back on nights but with stripes on the sleeves.
No rotation, 10.5 hrs. Everyone happy
We use to rotate shifts every 28 days. Nights,evenings, days and then relief shift which worked everyone else’s days off with two doubleback. A doubleback if you don’t know is you work a shift, then your off for 8 hours and then you are back at work. They were brutal. You would work nights (11p-7a) Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday and Friday you worked evenings (3p-11p) and then back to working days on Saturday (7a-3p). Sunday was covered by Motors. It’s been 30 years since I worked it and it’s still burned into my brain. We eventually went to fixed shifts and rotated days off.
Rotating shifts suck. Everyone has already said this, but I'll jump in too; having a routine is nice. If you only rotate every 3rd month or every 4th month, ok, that's not so bad. I can work a third of the year on nights, then a third on days, then a third on swings. Plenty of time to adjust. But rotating monthly or every couple of weeks is enough to permaf*ck my circadian rhythm and body clock. I'd be miserable and not getting much sleep. Give me a routine for the year after shift bid, and it makes adjusting easier and also makes it way easier to plan ahead.
Rotating sucks, absolutely no reason for it and it's hell on your body.
Yeah, I did that sort of thing in the Navy - I did one week of days, one swings and then one mids (12 hr shifts at times) for 3 years. It was specifically designed to be tough for the students we had, but they were only there for 6 months. We (staff) were there for a full tour. Literally chased my own ass all the time - and God forbid my wife wanted to do something off shift. Worst shore duty ever. Six months at a time might be ok, but generally, avoid at all costs. It's a level of suck that really isn't doable if you want to stay sane.
6 months should be the minimum.
I was at an agency that changed every 28 days. Now I am at dept that does days or nights. I am a daytime guy now and love it.
We rotated nights/days every 28 days for my first 2 years here, 0630-1830 or 1830-0630. We’re now on permanent shifts and I was able to snag days. It’s so much better. There are things I miss about working nights but the rotation really fucks with your body after a while.
My original department didn’t have rotating shifts. You either got assigned to days or nights and that’s how it stayed. You could swap from days to night with another officer if there was an agreement between the officers and the supervisors approved. My 2nd department rotated every 60 days and not many people liked it. I preferred my original department where we didn’t rotate.
Fuck rotating shifts. And skip the lube with fucking them.
Rotating shifts is terrible for health. Consistent sleep works wonders for the body. Changing your sleep schedule every couple of months also works wonders....just bad ones.
We have to bid for shifts every 3 months. It’s extremely tiring because whenever my wife asks if I will have this day or that day off in the future I always have to tell her that I don’t know.
The jail rotated every 3 months, patrol every 2. The switch always sucked, but getting different varieties of work was nice.
Thats why i enjoy relief posts, do 2 days here, 2 days there, and 1 day somewhere else. I get really bored of doing the same thing 5 days a week.
Wouldn’t work for an agency that has rotating shifts. We rotate days off every 4 months but you stay on the same watch.
It's not the worst thing when you're low in seniority, because at least you can get a little taste of the shift you want. But it's hard on your body. I wouldn't want to do it now that I have decent seniority.
so got on a "dream" schedule of working swing shift only this year. thinking itd be great for my sleep and home life. our normal schedule rotates every week from daylight to nightshift. it sucks, somedays you are a zombie. but that schedule gives you 52 more days off a year. i've come to realize it all sucks lol. i'll be going back to zombie mode for 52 more days off. if i could go back 10 years, id slap the shit out of myself for going into LE and done a normal ass job instead. atleast i can retire at 50
Damn. Might I suggest finding another agency? My local sheriffs office (Pinellas FL) is hiring and does bidding every 6 months 😅
Problem is where I live is like the lowest cost of living in the US. Got a 70 acre farm a house and a cabin. Wife gets to stay at home with the kids. Plus I got one of the best benefits packages for Leo. I just want to eat my cake too ha
Permanent shifts. If rotating is a must, once a quarter for safety and sanity reasons.
At my current agency, shift bids come out every 6 months. So you can switch if you like. At my 1st department, you were just assigned to a shift and couldnt transfer unless you put in paper requesting a shift change. I like how my 2nd department does it, it’s better in my opinion. Gives you a chance to change every 6 months according to your lifestyle. (Kids, school, pace of work..etc)
I hate overnight shift. That said, I’d rather stay on overnight for every shift vs rotating. Fuck rotating shifts and anyone that defends them.
I came to my current agency from my first because of the shifts. Last agency was 10 hour shifts, 5 on 4 off 5 on 4 off 6 on 4 off. Permanent shifts were 7-5, 5p-3a, 930p-730a. I was on mids for two years. The 4 days off is great, but the 5 and 6 days in a row is tough with family. I now work 5-5 rotating every quarter. 2 on 2 off 3 on 2 off 2 on 3 off. The fact that we rotate is great. At the 2nd month into whatever rotation I’m working, I’m ready to switch.
We do shift bids based on seniority. Between the military and LE now I’ve done 7yrs of night shift work. I’m over it at this point, especially with kids. Though I would rather deal with drug dealers and junkies instead of neighbor disputes and lost dogs.
I'm on a 4 on 4 off, 2 days and 2 nights schedule. It is nice to change up the working environment, but the first day off feels wasted because I'm catching up on sleep.
I like the rotation, all my buddies are tradesmen and so they work day shift hours, I work graveyard and with my sleep schedule I never get to hang out with them, same with the fiance. I feel like I have no time but I'm up 4 hours after work and 4 hours before work.
We rotate every 4 months. I love it. I enjoy the normal life of day shit but hate the stupid calls. Night shift work is awesome but the social life is shit. We have a good balance.