“I used to sleep at night, but being on the night shift, that doesn’t work out anymore,” Pesa said. “It’s just a little change I have to get used to.”
The change is part of a new shift system for the campus police department. IUPD, formerly on a three-shift rotation schedule, now operates on a two-shift rotation. Officers now work 12-hour shifts rather than eight-hour shifts.
“Many other police departments around the country have been using a two-shift system for a while with good results,” IUPD Capt. Andy Stephenson said. “It was definitely a decision I wanted to make right away.”
Stephenson stepped into his role as captain for the Bloomington IUPD force in early December. The change in shift schedules was one of his first goals for the department. The shift change went into effect at the beginning of 2016.
“One of the things this does is affords officers more days off per year,” Stephenson said. “Under the old system, some of our officers had been working with us for 14 or 15 years, but never had weekends off, and we wanted to be able to change that.”
Because the same number of officers are working for the department, the two-shift rotation also means there will be a stronger police presence during each shift, Stephenson said.
“We have to work longer hours now, but I think in the long run this is beneficial for everybody,” Pesa said. “I enjoy working, and so an extra four hours doesn’t make much of a difference to me even with the time switch.”
Pesa now works through the night and sleeps during the morning and early afternoon. It is probably the most obvious effect of the department’s schedule change, he said.
But the benefits of Stephenson’s decision outweigh the inconveniences, Pesa said. He said he can easily see the system of two 12-hour shifts becoming a permanent structure across all IU campuses, not just the Bloomington branch.
“Right now, we have rotating weekends off and a total of 87 more scheduled days off this year than last year, if I remember correctly,” Pesa said. “Officers can get weekends to see their families and do things with their friends now, and I think it’s a good change.”
Other goals for the beginning of the year include being more thorough and proactive in training for officers and supervisors at IUPD, Stephenson said.
IUPD also hopes to continue improving relations with the IU community this year, Stephenson said. Creating an environment where students feel comfortable interacting with police officers is necessary to do their jobs well, Stephenson said.
“Working for a university is a unique environment where you have people from all over the world congregating in one area,” Stephenson said. “We want to do a better job building relationships and building that community in an informal way.”
