97-01 STATION OVERTIME POLICY



761551N25A - SH - AD - 32A (2112)

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

"A Tradition of Service"

                DATE         March 15, 2006

        OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE                 FILE NO.

 

FROM:              TODD S. ROGERS, CAPTAIN                            TO: ALL PERSONNEL

                          CARSON STATION                                                    CARSON STATION

 

SUBJECT:         CARSON STATION MANAGEMENT DIRECTIVE 97-01

                           STATION OVERTIME POLICY (Revised 03-15-06)

 

Purpose of Directive:

This Management Directive concerns Carson Station's overtime policies. These procedures are established in the furtherance of Department Overtime Guidelines

(Departmental Manual of Policy and Procedures, Section 3-02/280.00).

This policy is not intended to restrict overtime that is necessary to complete duties. Individual time management is something we must all be aware of if we are going to be fiscally responsible. The management of overtime is a responsibility we all share.

Scope of Directive:

This Directive applies to all personnel assigned to Carson Station.

Directive:

OVERTIME/WORK RESTRICTIONS

Personnel are expressly prohibited from working overtime, except in an emergency situation, without the prior written approval of a supervisor.

County ordinances prescribe that personnel shall not work more than 96-hours of overtime per calendar month, or more than twelve (12) consecutive days without a regular day off (RDO), except when necessary to appear in court, or under other special circumstances approved by a Division Chief. The 96-hour limit includes all classifications of overtime such as unit, special event, etc. Another exclusion to the 96-hour and 12-day limitation is court time, which does not count against either limit.

 

MANAGEMENT DIRECTIVE 97-01 (Revised)                                     March 15, 2006

STATION OVERTIME POLICY

 

 

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No employee may work back-to-back doubles except when necessary to appear in court, or under other special circumstances approved by a Division Chief A back-to-back double is defined as working 16 hours followed by another 16 hours in two (2) consecutive 24 hour periods. Additionally, with the exception of exigent situations, no more than nineteen (19) hours may be worked consecutively.

No employee may work more than twelve (12) consecutive days without a day off as a result of a swap, except when necessary to appear in court, or under other special circumstances approved by a Division Chief

No employee may work back-to-back doubles as a result of a swap, except when necessary to appear in court, or under other special circumstances approved by a Division Chief A back-to-back double is defined as work 16 hours followed by another 16 hours in two (2) consecutive 24 hour periods.

Prior to an employee working overtime at any other Unit, expressed authorization from the Carson Station Unit Commander or designated station supervisory personnel must be received.

Whenever an employee works overtime at a unit other than their permanent unit of assignment "it is the responsibility of the unit where the overtime was earned to immediately notify the employee's permanent assignment." This is to assist in precluding individuals from violating the provisions of Manual of Policy and Procedure, sections 3-02/010.15 and 3-02/010.17 (no employee may work more than 12 consecutive days without a day off...; no employee shall work more than nineteen (19) hours consecutively; no employee may work back-to-back doubles...)

OVERTIME PRIORITIES

To ensure that the station can maintain the proper level of service and provide adequate staffing to ensure officer safety, the following overtime priorities are established:

1.    All overtime related to the Station's operations shall be the highest priority. This includes, but is not limited to,                   overtime necessary for filling vacancies, meeting inordinate workload demands, court appearances, etc.

2.    Overtime related to other Station contractual obligations (Schools, Special Events and Private Entity Contracts)                 shall be the next priority. Personnel working overtime positions at units other than this unit should advise the                       scheduling staff to avoid a conflict. Assignments volunteered for at the last minute or when the scheduling staff is               unavailable must be approved by the Watch Commander.

3.    Other Department Facilities overtime (Court Services Division, Custody Division, etc.) shall be the third priority.

 

MANAGEMENT DIRECTIVE 97-01 (Revised)                                March 15, 2006

STATION OVERTIME POLICY

 

 

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OVERTIME SCHEDULING

Pursuant to the above priorities, overtime assignments not related to the station's operations may be curtailed if the station's commitments cannot be met on a voluntary basis. (Exceptions to this guideline are Department-wide special events (i.e., Rose Parade, election events, and Regional/Departmental mobilizations.) This measure will only be implemented when essential, and care will be exercised in order to minimize any adverse impact on station personnel.

If station staffing commitments cannot be met on a voluntary basis and it becomes necessary to order personnel to work, this will be accomplished in as equitable a fashion as possible. The station's reverse seniority rotation policy, Management Directive 97­02, shall be utilized for ordering patrol personnel to work overtime and equitable procedures will be established by non-patrol units should the need arise.

OVERTIME AUTHORIZATION AND APPROVAL

The proper management of the monthly station overtime allotment is the responsibility of all managers, supervisors, and deputies assigned to this command. Accordingly, the following procedures for the authorization and approval of overtime are established.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

  1. All claims for overtime shall be pre-approved by the Watch Commander or the authorizing supervisor and shall be submitted at the conclusion of the activity which necessitated the working of overtime. All end-of-shift overtime shall be pre-approved by the Watch Commander. This overtime authorization shall be pre-approved in increments not to exceed two hours.
  2. Supervisory personnel approving overtime shall ensure the accuracy of the overtime slip.
  3. Overtime slips that lack the proper authorization and approval shall be returned to the employee for correction.
  4. To ensure proper coding and billing, all overtime slips involving non-station assignments, School Contracts, Special Events, or Private Entity (i.e., those involving Control or Unusual Occurrence numbers such as D.U.I. cars, truancy cars, gang suppression cars, bicycle patrols, etc.) shall be submitted to the involved employee's immediate supervisor (usually Watch Sergeant) for approval, and signature. Once approved, the original of these slips shall be forwarded directly to the unit time keeper.

 

MANAGEMENT DIRECTIVE 97-01 (Revised)                                  March 15, 2006

STATION OVERTIME POLICY

 

 

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      5.  The station's Scheduling staff shall develop and maintain a method of tracking denied time off requests so                         supervisors and Watch Commanders can promptly review this information if an employee is suspected of abusing             sick call-ins or last minute time off requests.

PATROL OVERTIME

  1. Vacancy Overtime/Shift Adjustments

"Minimum Staffing" is a term that defines the minimum daily number of patrol units that should be fielded on each shift to ensure that the station meets its contractual obligations at the end of the fiscal year. Sample in-services for each shift are available to supervisory personnel that identify each field unit and position that is necessary to provide a minimum level of staffing. The Unit Commander has authorized the Watch Commanders to deviate from minimum staffing guidelines if necessary to properly manage daily operations.

Watch Commanders shall carefully review the in-service sheet for the following shift to ascertain if overtime is required to fill vacancies due to sick call-ins or unscheduled variances. Officer safety and specific articulable shift needs shall receive the highest priority and may necessarily require the expenditure of overtime.

To ensure equal availability of overtime to fill behind sick call-ins or unscheduled shift variances, personnel will sign-up in advance in a journal maintained by the Watch Sergeant. Personnel will have their names recorded on the appropriate date and shift indicating their desire to work an overtime assignment. The cumulative amount of overtime worked during the current cycle and the total amount of overtime the prior cycle shall be recorded next to the employee's name. The Watch Sergeant shall be responsible for identifying the appropriate employee to work the overtime based on the station's specific needs and the availability of the employee to work the overtime assignment without adversely affecting reporting times and unit deployment. If no employee signs up for overtime and no other employee volunteers to work the overtime assignment, existing procedures to "draft" an employee shall be followed (refer to Management Directive 97-02.) Watch Commanders shall periodically review the journal to ensure it is being maintained properly and that overtime is being equitably distributed.

 

MANAGEMENT DIRECTIVE 97-01 (Revised)                                  March 15, 2006

STATION OVERTIME POLICY

 

 

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    2.  Late Reports

Requests by personnel for overtime for late reports shall be granted only after a determination that the report cannot be deferred. The deferred report log shall continue to be maintained at the Watch Sergeant's Desk. (refer to Management Directive 97-03.)

All overtime to be worked to complete late reports shall be authorized by the Watch Commander prior to being worked. The Watch Commander will evaluate the time required to complete the report. The Watch Commander's signature and amount of time authorized shall be entered in the "Supervisor Pre-Approving" section on the overtime slip. If additional overtime is necessary, the requesting deputy shall take the report being written to the Watch Commander for additional review and for authorization to submit for additional overtime.

Watch Sergeants shall closely monitor deputies on overtime to ensure that the reports are completed within the allotted time. Prior to being relieved, Watch Sergeants shall brief the on-coming Watch Sergeant regarding the status of any employee writing reports on overtime.

With respect to training officers and trainees, it is not necessary that the training officer remain with the trainee when the trainee is competent to write the particular report involved.

Upon completion of the overtime, the Watch Sergeant, after reviewing the overtime report, shall sign in the space marked "Supervisor's Signature."

Arrest reports shall not be deferred, unless otherwise directed by the Watch Commander. Other reports shall be written at the time the incident occurs unless other duties such as "calls for service" and emergent situations preclude the completion of such reports.

Field Sergeants shall monitor unit activity and approve reports in the field. When late arrests or reports occur, the Watch Sergeant will ensure that sufficient assistance is provided to expedite the booking and/or paperwork.

When appropriate, supervisors and managers will attempt to pass on work to the on-coming shifts to avoid      end-of-shift overtime.

 

MANAGEMENT DIRECTIVE 97-01 (Revised)                                  March 15, 2006

STATION OVERTIME POLICY

 

 

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DETECTIVE BUREAU OVERTIME

All overtime worked by station detectives shall be on a pre-authorized basis, approved by the Detective Unit Lieutenant or, in his/her absence, the Watch Commander.

TRAINING OVERTIME

Training shall be accomplished, insofar as possible, during regular duty hours. Any overtime for training shall have the prior approval of the Training Lieutenant. Overtime expended for personnel at training will be documented by using the appropriate code.

 

 

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