Civilian Personnel
Most employees work an eight-hour day, exclusive of lunch time, except when the employee is not relieved of all responsibility during the lunch period.
Actual starting and ending hours shall be specified by unit commanders and shall be in conformance with applicable Memoranda of Understanding and the Los Angeles County Code.
Deputy Personnel and Custody Assistants
The basic eight-hour workday, which provides for a one-half hour meal period exclusive of the eight-hour workday, shall apply to deputy personnel who are on a 5/40 schedule (refer to MPP, section 3-02/010.15, Work Schedules).
Such non-paid meal period shall also apply to the 9/80, 4/40 or 12/80 schedules so that the workday shall be 9, 10 or 12 hours, exclusive of the half-hour meal period.
Interrupted mealtimes should be restored during the shift. If the employee was afforded at least 20 minutes, but less than 30 minutes, the meal period shall be deemed to have been taken. If such interruption takes place prior to the completion of at least 20 minutes, an additional half-hour period must be provided or the employee will accrue overtime for the half-hour that was interrupted. The meal period must begin no later than two hours prior to the end of the scheduled shift.
Supervisory personnel are responsible for ensuring that their subordinates receive a meal break or authorizing any necessary overtime.
The eight and one-half hour day shall include any necessary briefing time and/or training time, as well as a one-half hour meal period. The workday can be scheduled to begin on the half-hour or quarters, as determined by the unit commander.
The employee shall be relieved of his/her work duties during the meal period, but it is not necessary that he/she be permitted to leave an assigned facility if he/she is otherwise completely free of his/her duties.
Any custody assistant assigned to work an eight and one-half hour day shall be permitted to leave the facility during the assigned meal period.
If the custody assistant is required to work for 10 to 20 minutes during the non-compensated meal period, he/she shall be credited with 15 minutes of overtime. If he/she is required to work 21 to 30 minutes, he/she shall be credited with 30 minutes of overtime. Such work requiring less than 10 minutes shall not be credited.
Any custody assistant, whose continued presence is essential to the operation, shall remain at the facility during his/her tour of duty and be scheduled on an eight-hour workday, including the meal period.
All inquiries regarding work schedules for Department personnel shall be directed to the Bureau of Labor Relations and Compliance.