Scheduling Personnel

The purpose of this policy is to establish clear guidelines for scheduling all police employees.

Policy: Scheduling Personnel 

Author: Chief Joseph M. Hallman

WILEAG Standard: N/A

Issue Date: October 31, 2012

Reviewed Date: April 7, 2026

Revised Date: April 7, 2026

Purpose:

The purpose of this policy is to establish clear guidelines for scheduling all police employees.

Policy:

The UW-Platteville Police Department will schedule employees to maximize the effective and efficient operations of the police department and allow all employees an equal opportunity to utilize approved time off, while limiting the use of overtime to an absolute minimum.

Definitions:

1. Discretionary Leave- includes vacation, legal holiday, and personal holiday time off.
2. Immediate Family Member- includes all of the following:
   1. employee’s legal spouse, employee’s domestic partner,
   2. children of employee or employee’s spouse or domestic partner (biological, adopted, step or foster child, or legal ward),
   3. grandchildren of the employee or employee’s spouse or domestic partner,
   4. parents of employee or employee’s spouse or domestic partner (biological, adopted, step or foster parent, or legal guardian of employee)
   5. grandparents of employee or employee’s spouse or domestic partner,
   6. brothers and sisters and the spouse or domestic partner of the brothers and sisters of the employee or the employee’s spouse or domestic partner,
   7. aunts and uncles of the employee or the employee’s spouse or domestic partner,
   8. sons-in-law or daughters-in-law (including domestic partner of the son or daughter) of the employee or the employee’s spouse or domestic partner,
   9. other relatives of the employee or the employee’s spouse or domestic partner who reside in the same household of the employee.
3. Legal Holiday- the University of Wisconsin System grants eligible employees nine paid legal holidays per calendar year.  For University Police Officers those nine paid days are considered “floating”, meaning they can be used anytime within the calendar year.  Legal holidays must be used by the end of the fiscal year in which they were granted. (UW Admin. Policy 1211)
4. Misuse of Sick Leave- Use of sick leave for that which it was not intended or provided.
5. Non-discretionary Leaves - include but may not be limited to sick leave, military leave, civil leave, funeral leave, and injured on duty leave & suspended from duty with pay. Management reserves the right to validate the proper use of such leaves.
6. Overtime- is earned when the employee exceeds forty hours of actual working hours in a work week.  Overtime must be approved by a supervisor unless an immediate emergency situation prevents the employee from seeking approval.
7. Pattern Abuse- consistent periods of sick leave usage, for example:
   1. Before and/or after holidays.
   2. Before and/or after weekends or regular days off.
   3. After pay days.
   4. Any one specific day.
   5. Absence following overtime worked.
   6. Half days.
   7. Using more than two sick days in two consecutive months.
   8. Continued pattern of maintaining zero or near zero leave balances.
8. Personal Holidays- full-time eligible employees are granted 36 hours (4.5 days) of personal holiday hours per year.  Personal holiday hours must be used by the end of the fiscal year in which they were granted.  (UW Admin. Policy 1211)
9. Sick Leave- is designed to provide eligible employees with position and salary continuation in the event of illness or injury and to promote sick leave conservation for extended protection.  Full-time university staff may earn five hours of sick leave per bi-weekly pay period for a total of 130 hours (16.25 days) per fiscal year.  Unused sick leave shall accumulate from year to year, without limit, in the employee’s sick leave account. (UW Admin. Policy 1212)
10. Shift Minimum- the UW-Platteville Police Department shall establish a shift minimum. A shift minimum of at least one officer per shift is required every day.  Shift minimum may increase to two or more officers for the following events:
    1. Move-In Weekend
    2. Homecoming
    3. December Graduation
    4. Mudfest rugby tournament
    5. Spring Graduation
    6. Other identified special events

*Event staffing is dependent on department manpower.  UWPPD may reach out to surrounding Police and Sheriff’s departments for additional assistance.

11. Special Assignment- an employee may be placed on special assignment by the Chief or his/her designee. This employee is removed from the schedule for the duration of the special assignment. Some examples of special assignment are training, Detective, Presentations, etc.
12. Unauthorized Use of Sick Leave- listed below
    1. Failure to notify supervisor of medical absence. 
    2. Failure to provide physician's verification when required.
    3. Fraudulent physician verification.
13. Unpaid Leaves - Unpaid leaves include, but may not be limited to, suspensions without pay, and the Family Medical Leave Act (FLMA).
14. Vacation- is granted upon hire, provided eligibility requirements are met, and again on July 1 of every year. Vacation granted during the year of hire is prorated based on the start date of the appointment. The employing unit/supervisor shall try to accommodate the employee’s requests for vacation, subject to workload demands in the employing unit. (UW Admin. Policy 1210)

Procedures:

1. Scheduling
   1. Management reserves the right to staff shifts as needed to meet the staffing requirements of the department.  The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Police Department staffing is based on a posted work schedule.
      1. Prior to the end of each month, a new work schedule will be provided to each police officer, via electronic copy. 
   2. Management reserves the right to change rotations, shift hours, days off, and assign extra duties, etc. to meet the needs of the department and the University, especially in situations of staffing shortages, special events and special assignments or during emergency situations.
   3. Police Officers shall inform the supervisor as soon as possible if there is a work schedule conflict which may be created by appointments, court duty, or any other leave.
   4. Officers will not work more than 16 continuous hours without an 8-hour break, except in cases of positive necessity by some sudden and serious emergency, which in the judgment of a Chief or his/her designee, demands that this 16-hour limit be extended.
   5. Police Officers may be called in to work shift, outside of the posted work schedule for a variety of reasons.  Therefore, police employees shall maintain a telephone at their residence and/or a valid cellular telephone, and notify the department of any change of address and telephone listing.
2. Daylight Savings Time & Standard Time Changes
   1. Daylight Savings Time (DST)
      1. Any employee working when daylight savings time goes into effect will be permitted to use one hour of discretionary leave, unpaid leave, or work an additional hour at the end of the shift to make up the hour shortage.
   2. Standard Time Change (CST)
      1. Any department employee working when standard time goes into effect will be paid for an additional hour of work, if required to keep shift minimum at one.
3. Time Off Requests
   1. Vacation Planner (Prior to the new calendar year)
      1. At the beginning of the calendar year (January) a vacation planner for the entire year will be sent electronically to each officer.  This planner should be used to schedule discretionary time off.
      2. At the request of the Chief or his/her designee, the most senior officer will be provided notice that he/she has one week to schedule his/her discretionary time off for the upcoming year.  After that, each officer, in order of seniority, will be given one week to complete his/her discretionary time off requests. 
      3. Any further requests for time off, after the one week expires, will need to be emailed to the Chief or his/her designee as soon as possible and will be handled on a first come first serve basis.
   2.  Vacation Requests (Prior to the posted work schedule)
      1. There will be no more than one officer scheduled for discretionary leave on any given day.  This does not include officers who have those days off as his/her regularly scheduled weekend off.
      2. Discretionary leave will be granted using the following guidelines:
         1. The Vacation Planner procedure, mentioned in (C)(a), will be prioritized first and foremost.
         2. Requests that are placed after the Vacation Planner procedure in (C)(a), will be prioritized by the date the officer sends an email vacation request to the Chief or his/her designee.
            1. If more than two officers request the same time off and the request occurs at the exact same time, leave will be granted by seniority. Otherwise, leave is granted by the date and time it was requested.
         3. Operational necessities may require denial of requests due to officer availability to cover the shift and limiting the amount of overtime required.
   3. Vacation Requests (After work schedule is posted)
      1. After a work schedule has been posted, an officer may use a discretionary day, if and only if, he/she checks with his/her shift partner.  A supervisor shall be notified of this change to the posted schedule.
      2. Vacation requests creating overtime, must be approved by the Chief or his/her designee.
      3. Work Exchange
         1. A work exchange may be approved between several officers if the work exchange occurs within the same work week.  The officers will record the actual hours worked on their time sheets, not what they were normally scheduled to work.
         2. Work exchanges must be requested and approved by the Chief or his/her designee.
         3. Any changes made to the posted work schedule, must be approved by the Chief or his/her designee, even if another officer is already covering the shift. 
         4. An employee is not permitted to pay another employee to work for him/her, nor as an incentive for the employee to agree to do so.
4. Extended Leave
   1. Extended leave includes sick leave, leave of absence, sabbatical, military recall, etc. that is thirty days or longer in duration.
      1. If an officer is on extended leave the officer will be considered off the work schedule since the officer is not available for duty and will be removed from the posted work schedule.
      2. For purposes of completing the time sheet, the officer will be considered on a regular Monday through Friday work week until the officer is able to return to work and resume regular shift assignments.
      3. An employee who has been on extended leave has the responsibility to contact the supervisor by telephone or in person when the employee is able to return to work.  The employee shall inform the supervisor of the first day the employee is available to return to work. 
      4. A returning Police Officer will be assigned as needed on the current work schedule to avoid conflicts and schedule changes for the rest of the officers on the current posted schedule.  That Officer will be placed back into his/her work rotation on the next posted schedule.
   2.  Extended leave due to injury
      1. An employee who has been on extended sick leave shall be required to provide a supervisor with a written authorization from the attending physician to return to work.  The doctor’s written authorization will include:
         1. The date the employee is available to return to work
         2. Whether or not any restrictions are placed on the employee
      2. This release shall be provided to a supervisor immediately upon returning to work.  The employee may not be allowed to remain on duty without the authorization.
      3. If a Police Officer is authorized to return to work, but with restrictions, the University Police Department and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville may find light duty work within the department or within the University, depending on the circumstances, and if light dight assignments exist at the time.
5. Military Leave
   1. Annual training required of permanent status employees is granted in accordance with Civil Service Laws, §230.35(3)(a).  Paid leave for attending annual training will not exceed thirty days in a calendar year.  It is the employee’s decision whether to receive his/her state pay or military pay during this leave.  It is the employee’s responsibility to contact the Payroll Office to make the necessary arrangements regarding pay status.  It should be noted that annual training leave shall not be granted for absences of less than three consecutive days.
      1. If a permanent status employee is involuntarily called to active military service, the employee shall be granted leave which shall not exceed 4 years.
6. Sick Leave
   1. Sick leave is a benefit granted to employees and shall not be abused.
   2. Claiming sick leave under false pretenses, or other actions constituting a conscious attempt to violate the provisions of this section, will be cause for disciplinary action.
   3. Sick leave may be used for the following reasons:
      1. For personal illnesses, injury, disability, pregnancy, or exposure to contagious disease.
      2. Up to twelve (12) weeks of sick leave may be used for the birth or the placement for adoption of a child. Use of sick leave for this purpose must be consistent with the rules applicable to use under the state and federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). For FMLA eligible employees, use of this sick leave will run concurrently with any FMLA leave granted for this purpose. See SYS 1213, Wisconsin and Federal Family and Medical Leave Acts. Employees eligible for Paid Parental Leave (PPL) must use PPL for any PPL-eligible purposes prior to using sick leave for those purposes.
      3. For the care of an immediate family member (for up to five consecutive work days). Additional time off may be approved by the institution. Refer to UW Admin. Policy 1212 of this policy for certification requirements if absence exceeds five days.
      4. For immediate family or personal medical or dental appointments.
      5. Up to three days of sick leave may be used after the death of an immediate family member. An additional four days of sick leave may be used for travel time related to a funeral or other circumstances after the death of an immediate family member
      6. Any absence covered by the Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act (WFMLA) regardless of whether the employee is eligible for WFMLA rights and protections See SYS 1213, Wisconsin and Federal Family and Medical Leave Acts.
   4. Certification of medical necessity (UW Admin Policy 1212)
      1. If sick leave is used for an absence in excess of five consecutive work days, the employee must submit a written certification to the institution from a health care provider of the medical necessity for use of sick leave, except where the use of sick leave is authorized, pursuant to the Wisconsin or Federal Family and Medical Leave Act.
      2. If the employer is aware that an absence in excess of five working days is eligible for the use of sick leave, but an employee elects to use a different type of paid leave (ex. vacation or personal holiday), the institution is authorized to require written certification from a health care provider to verify the medical necessity for the employee’s absence.
      3. When an institution is aware of an emergency that prevents communicating with or obtaining information about the condition of the employee, such written certification is not be required until such time as communication is possible and appropriate, given the condition of the employee.
      4. In cases of suspected sick leave abuse, the institution is authorized to require written certification from a health care provider to verify the medical necessity for the employee’s absence, regardless of the length of absence.
      5. This section is not intended to limit the authority of the employer to request certification of medical necessity for any other legally permissible reason as may be deemed necessary and reasonable by the employer.
   5. Unauthorized Use or Abuse of Sick Leave
      1. When unauthorized use or abuse of sick leave is substantiated, the Chief of Police or Sergeant will affect corrective and progressive discipline, keeping in mind any extenuating or mitigating circumstances.
   6. Pattern of Abuse
      1. If an employee abuses sick leave in a pattern, per examples noted in the section under definitions (but not limited to those listed), the Chief of Police or Sergeant may reasonably suspect pattern abuse. If it is suspected, the Chief of Police or Sergeant will notify the employee in writing that pattern abuse is suspected and require the employee to provide a physician’s statement of a valid medical reason for absence. The Chief of Police or Sergeant will invite the employee to explain, rebut or refute the pattern abuse claim. Use of sick leave for valid reasons shall not be considered pattern abuse.
7. Uniformed Officer's breaks will consist of one 30-minute lunch break and two 15-minute breaks per 8-hour shift when the workload allows. The breaks should be taken separately and not be combined into one break or taken in conjunction with lunch. Management reserves the right to regulate the number of breaks.
8. Work Time Submission
   1. It is the employee’s responsibility to complete his/her own digital timesheet.  All employees shall record the actual number of hours worked each day.  If a permanent status employee does not have a full forty-hour work week the employee may elect to use discretionary leave, or with a supervisor’s approval, make up that time. 
   2. Digital timesheets need to be completed online by the last Friday of the pay period.  Failure to complete the digital timesheet will result in no paycheck for that pay period.
   3. Any proven/substantiated abuse of timesheet entries is grounds for disciplinary actions.
9. Computerized Records of Time Off (Discretionary & Non-Discretionary Leave)
   1. The accumulation and use of discretionary leaves, nondiscretionary leaves and non-paid leaves will be tracked in a computerized data base maintained by Human Resources (Payroll) for all University employees.
   2. It is recommended that the employee keep record of time off and leave balances.