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LOCK HAVEN -- The Lock Haven City Police Department may transition to a 12-hour shift model for its officers.
City Manager Gregory Wilson said Chief Matthew Rickard is in talks with members of the Lock Haven Police Officers Association regarding the potential shift.
Discussion about the change in shifts, along with a proposed reduction of police coverage from 24/7 to 20 hours a day was proposed by City Manager Greg Wilson in October 2022.
This portion of the contract was a sticking point between the city and police union up until arbitration.
Wilson made the announcement about the potential 12-hour shifts following council's unanimous decision to adopt updates to the city's collective bargaining agreement with the union.
"Now that's been adopted, the chief of police has been working with the members of the police officers union and having discussions about converting to 12 hour shifts from 8 hour shifts," Wilson told council Monday night.
Wilson said the move could see a reduction in overtime, a point that was mentioned in the final decision provided to the city and LHPOA via a third-party arbitrator.
"They've been working on that and they continue to work on that this week," he said. "The police have given a lot of positive input on that and we've been able to work together and hopefully we'll find a way to make that work."
All members of council were present for Monday's meeting, held in council chambers. Council's next meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 13 at City Hall, 20 E. Church St., and live streamed on the city's Facebook and YouTube pages.