ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 26, 1996 TAG: 9601260061
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
Townspeople here are worried that the 12-hour shifts worked by police officers are just too long.
Councilman Eddie Hale said this week that people are worried such shifts are unsafe, because an officer might be too tired for the job near the end of a work day.
"That was the concern that was brought to me," Hale told other council members at a Human Resources Committee meeting.
Town Manager Tom Combiths explained that the longer shifts are experimental at this point. Police Chief Herb Cooley instituted the new shifts a few weeks ago. The advantage is that they give officers more time off to spend with their families.
"I know that what Chief Cooley is doing now is an experiment. It's not permanent," Combiths said. "Chief Cooley is trying to find out if that's going to work."
Committee Chairman Roy D'Ardenne said the length of shifts should be up to Cooley, anyway. Hale suggested forming a Public Safety Committee to keep up with the activities of town Police and Fire departments. The town used to have such a committee but, in recent years, consolidated eight committees into the present four: Finance, Human Resources, Ordinance, and Public Operations. (Fire and police activities fall under the operations committee.)
Council members discussed stepping up communications between the departments and that committee. "I'd just like a report from the department once a quarter, that's all," Hale said. "It seems to me ... the only time you discuss fire and police is at budget time."
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