ST. LOUIS – Officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department could move from 8-hour to 11-hour shifts as the department deals with a staffing shortage.

According to a FOX Files report last December, citing an SLMPD spokesperson, there were at least 300 vacancies out of the department’s 1,224 commissioned positions.

St. Louis officers have still been working eight-hour shifts since that time, but conversations have begun in recent weeks as to whether it would be more beneficial to extend standard shifts.

Sgt. Charles Wall addressed the situation Wednesday during the department’s weekly crime briefing with media members. He says unions that represent the department have met with leaders to discuss potential changes.

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“It’s been in the media that we are understaffed,” said Wall during Wednesday’s briefing. “Any schedule change that may allow for longer shifts that may provide for additional coverage are things we are going to look at. Anything we can do to try and ensure that we have the right number of officers on the street that are able to respond to calls in a timely manner and provide the service that citizens expect and deserve. Certainly, we are looking at every possibility, and potential changes to the duration of our shifts is one of those things we are looking at.”

Wall says that any potential changes would require involvement from city officials and the board of aldermen.

“It’s not like anything that’s going to happen overnight,” said Wall. “These are just conversations we’ve began to have. Certainly the city is included in those conversations as well. We’re just trying to determine if an eight hour shift is the best for our organization, or extending those hours, changing those shifts will allow for additional coverage for our patrol functions.”

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A change in hours may also lead to changes in a pay ordinance for officers, specifically addressing the duration of a standard shift.

“If a standard shift is 10 hours or 11 hours, the ordinance would reflect that, and officers wouldn’t be automatically paid overtime for a standard shift,” said Wall.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department moved forward with a similar plan in the summer of 2022 to put more officers on the streets and combat crime over the summer months.

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