PlanIt Police Blog

Looking over all of the schedules that we have converted to templates over the years, we notice that the most popular in 12 hour shifts, and overall, was the Pitman Schedule.

However, the second most popular 12 hour shift schedule was, what we call, the Idaho Schedule. It uses a rotation of [4 on 3 off] [3 on 4 off] and [3 on 3 off] [4 on 4 off]. 

It is a 2-week, 12 hour shift schedule template. One crew works [4 on 3 off] [3 on 4 off] and the other works [3 on 3 off] [4 on 4 off]. 4 templates are required; 2 on day shift and 2 on night shift.

*** What is a template? - a template could be a single employee or a squad of employees working the same shifts. This would depend upon your department size and minimum staffing levels.

Download a printable version of this Idaho Schedule Template so you can try it out.

Above is a picture of what it would look like in Excel or Word. Below is what this 12 hour shift schedule for 7 days a week would look like as a template in scheduling software:

While these are all 12 hour shifts, they keep a consistent day or night shift allowing the employees to adjust to the timing. This schedule does follow a similar pattern as the Pitman Schedule. They both have 4 shifts in one week, 3 shifts in the next, to equal out 42 hours each pay period.

Let's explore some other positive and negative aspects of this schedule:

Pros

• Consistent day/night shift
• Most days worked in a row = 4
• 4 days off in a row
• Comp time accumulation - approx. 104 hours a year
• Every other Saturday off

Cons

• Not equal - 2 squads get 2 Sundays off where other gets only every other Saturday
• 12 hour shifts can be hard on employee's health
• With unequal weekends off and only 2-week template, may need to switch templates often (shift bids)

The Idaho Schedule provides 24x7 coverage for patrol with 12 hour shift schedules for 7 days a week. If this is not the right schedule for your department, check back on our blog regularly for more schedule examples. You can subscribe at the top right of this page to receive one email a month giving you the latest articles posted. 

Want to take this information with you? View a printable version of this article by clicking on the button below!

PlanIt Schedule can handle 24x7 schedules, such as the Idaho, with ease. Call us today to get your questions answered and find out how much time scheduling software will be able to save your department (866-471-2001). See the system's features here.