COUNCIL REQUESTS LAPD WORKWEEK SCHEDULE STUDY.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer

The City Council on Friday requested a study of compressed work schedules for Los Angeles police officers, a measure designed to boost morale and improve the recruitment of new officers.

The council's 11-0 vote directed city staff to come up with proposals for hiring a consultant to perform the study.

``This is a very important measure,'' said Councilman Hal Bernson. ``The morale of our department now is probably at an all-time low.''

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing rank- and-file officers, has actively sought compressed schedules - such as three, 12-hour shifts a week or four, 10-hour shifts - instead of the usual five-day workweeks.

The union contends the change would save money and improve morale by letting officers spend more time with their families.

Police Chief Bernard C. Parks has opposed compressed workweeks in the past but said recently he welcomes a study.

Boosting morale in a police department battered by the Rampart scandal and the ensuing federal consent decree is important to the council, because the department is having so much trouble recruiting and retaining personnel that it is about 1,000 officers short of its budgeted size.

Technically, the City Council does not have the power to impose compressed workweeks on the police department, but it can make a recommendation to the police commission.

In the mid-1990s, the department experimented with a compressed workweek but decided against expanding it. LAPD officials said such a plan could lower the number of officers available in an emergency.

``In the past, the chief has opposed the implementation of a compressed work schedule as not being in the best interest of the community and the department as a whole,'' said LAPD spokesman Sgt. John Pasquariello.

Mayor Richard Riordan is open to the idea of a study, according to his spokesman, but has serious concerns about the compressed schedule if it results in fewer officers on the streets at one time.

``Obviously, this is very high on the wish list for the league, but ultimately any plan that adversely affects deployment at this critical juncture is going to be looked at very carefully in the Mayor's Office,'' said Deputy Mayor Ben Austin.