EDITORIAL : PARKS MAKES THE RIGHT CALL COMPRESSED WORKWEEK FOR LAPD HAS TOO MANY FLAWS.

The three-day/12-hour workweek is a popular idea among Los Angeles police officers, but the numbers simply do not add up for the public.

So we support Police Chief Bernard C. Parks' decision to scrap the experiment at the Van Nuys Division, and five others, effective Nov. 22. Parks' explanation - that the plan reduces the number of officers on the street and flexibility in assigning officers - is convincing.

We also have been concerned that the 12-hour shifts might be unduly fatiguing for some officers, increasing the risk of on-the-job injuries and mistakes.

An added issue is the impact that the 3/12 plan, if implemented citywide, might have on continuity, a vital element in community policing.

Parks' decision was promptly denounced by the Police Protective League, which threatened to take the department to court on the grounds that the action should have been the subject of negotiations under the meet-and-confer process.

The league, which is well-known for its in-your-face bargaining tactics, clearly has the right to go to court. But in so doing, it runs the risk of alienating a lot of taxpayers who are accustomed to working five days a week and aren't convinced that some public employees should be entitled to more days off than everyone else.

The public has supported healthy pay increases for police, costly new equipment and the hiring of more officers but there are limits.

What's more important, though, is whether Parks' decision is in the public interest, given his duty to maintain law and order. We believe it is.