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4/10 vs 5-2 5-3
The two patterns most departments choose between when they are not going to twelves. One buys you a third day off every week; the other keeps a familiar working week.
| 4/10 | vs | 5-2 5-3 |
|---|---|---|
| The cycle | ||
| 10 hours | Shift length | 8 hours |
| 7 daysOften inside a longer rotation | Cycle length | 15 days |
| 40 hours | Average week | 37.3 hours |
| About 17 | Shifts a month | About 20 |
| 3 | Days off a week | 2 or 3 |
| Your week | ||
| Yes | Three days off every week | NoOnly at the end of the cycle |
| YesOn a pure 4/10 | Days off land on the same weekdays | No |
| No | Familiar five-day working week | Yes |
| Yes | A three-day break in the cycle | Yes |
| On duty | ||
| YesTwo hours a day, typically | Overlap between watches | No |
| Yes | Longer day on duty | No |
| No | More handovers and briefings | Yes |
The extra day off
4/10 gives three days off every week, permanently, for the same forty hours. That is the reason most agencies moved to it, and the reason officers defend it.
5-2 5-3 gives two days off, then two, then three, on a fifteen-day cycle that never lines up with the week. The three-day break at the end is what people plan their year around.
What the agency gets
The 4/10 overlap is the operational argument. Two watches sharing a couple of hours a day means more units on the street when call volume peaks, which is why chiefs like it even when it costs more.
Hours in your check
4/10 sits at forty hours. 5-2 5-3 comes in around thirty-seven, and the gap usually gets filled with overtime, court and training. Two patterns that look similar on paper can land in very different places on a pay statement.
Full detail on each pattern: 4/10 schedule · 5-2 5-3 schedule
The shift schedule you actually work
Save whichever one your agency runs and a police shift calendar built by an officer fills the rest of the year in. Everything stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Scan to install — or hold it up for the officer next to you.
